Family
by CSHL
Summary: AU: 10 Years Ago, Emma Swan gave up a son for adoption to give him his best chance. 10 Years Ago, Killian Jones and his wife Milah adopted a little boy they named Henry. Now, in a chance meeting, Emma will reunite with her son and his now-single father, learning to love the both of them while learning what the true meaning of family really is.
1. Chapter 1: A Break

**Hello my fellow CaptainSwaners, or whoever might be reading this! **

**I normally don't do long, multichapter stories, especially so far with CaptainSwan. It's just shorts for me, but for some reason this one prompt from CSTreasure just wouldn't leave me alone:**_** Modern AU. Killian and his wife Milah adopted Henry when Emma gave him up. Fast forward ten years, Milah's dead and Emma ends up unintentionally stumbling across her son and his adoptive father. Drama, angst and a bit of fluff ensues as Emma gets to know them without revealing who she really is, coming to love her son and the man who raised him as his own. **_

**Now, the story I'm working on comes and goes from that prompt, but for the most part, that's the basis of the story, right there. **

**Note that I have very limited internet at my house right now, but I'll do my best to respond to reviews (because I LOVE GETTING THEM, as does everyone!) and I'm currently looking at one chapter up a week. Probably on Mondays after today, but that's up for debate. Each chapter will start out with a flashback, and I'll just mention that now, even though it's pretty clearly marked for what time I'm talking about, and note that this first chapter is about half the length of following chapters. As for how long it will be, I'm thinking it will probably end around Chapter 15, but who knows at this point. If you have any questions send them in! I'll answer the best I can without giving too many spoilers! =)**

**I'm also looking for a Beta-Reader. Contact me if interested! **

**Disclaimer: I'm only going to say this once: I don't own Once Upon A Time. I wish I did. But I don't. **

**Enjoy the story! **

* * *

**Family**

* * *

Chapter 1: A Break

_**10 Years Ago**_

_"Ok Emma, almost there. Just a little more. Push."_

_Her screams echoed throughout the room, despite its small size, the clock striking 8:15 as she pushed one last time, bringing her son into the world. She could hear him, her tears matching his cries, unable to move due to the handcuffs that kept her stationary on the bed._

_"It's a boy Emma" the doctor told her, walking towards her, but she only shook her head, resisting the urge to glance at her son, if only for a second. She knew that if she held him, even just looked at him, she would never be able to give him up. But a life with her, even after she got out of jail? No, she couldn't. She had to give him his best chance._

_"You can change your mind you know."_

_"No," she returned, shaking her head again. "I can't be a mother."_

_It didn't take long after that for them to remove the baby from the room, taking her into recovery, ankles still shackled to the bed. It was there that she signed the papers, turning her son over to the adoption agency forever._

_"You do realize that when he is adopted it will be a closed adoption. You won't be able to track him down or, in general, see him after you sign these forms" the woman from the agency explained. "In every way other than biologically, he won't be your son."_

_Emma nodded slowly, "I understand. Just give me the forms."_

_And five minutes later, she no longer had a son._

**Present Day**

"To Emma Swan, who always gets her man!" Ruby cried out, raising her glass of red wine in a toast. The various others around the table lifted their own glasses with their drinks in a similar fashion, echoing "To Emma!" throughout the restaurant. Emma took a small drink of her own wine before setting the glass back down on the table, forcing a smile on her face in thankfulness to her friends. She was certainly not in a birthday-celebrating kind of mood.

"You're gonna take a few days off, right?" Alex asked, rubbing Emma's arm. "You know you deserve it. This is what…the fourth guy you've caught in the past two weeks? And before that you had that giant case that you spent how much time on. It's time for a break."

Emma sighed, "For starters, that's my second guy in the last two weeks, and while that case was giant, it's not like it brought in a huge sum. I've got to pay rent somehow."

"But _Emma_" she returned, stretching out her name like a kid. "At least come out with us tomorrow night. The Merry Men are playing at Neverland and I know you love their music!"

"Again, correction, I like their music. I wouldn't call myself a huge fangirl, unlike some people" she added with a smile and smirk at Ruby.

"What? I can't freak out over the fact that my favorite band is going to be playing at my favorite bar, not to mention my place of employment? That's not fair!"

Emma was about to make a sarcastic comment, but her closest friend, Mary Margaret, cut her off, "You know Emma, they're right. You've been working pretty hard these past couple of months. You deserve a night off. Plus, don't you think it might be time to move on from…"

"We are not talking about that tonight. I'm not ready to be dating. What about that don't you guys get?" It had been almost two months since her bad breakup with longtime boyfriend Walsh, and while she certainly wasn't in the ice cream and cheesy movies phase anymore, it wasn't like she was ready to jump back into the world of dating, especially not after just moving into a new apartment after dividing her life with Walsh.

"At least think about it" Mary Margaret commented with a small smile. "You owe us that much. Plus, it is your birthday!"

"Exactly! It could be like a birthday present!" Ruby exclaimed.

"Ruby, you already gave me two. Plus, my birthday is almost over" Emma commented with another smirk. It was true. Already after 10, the last few hours of her 28th birthday were ticking away quickly. Thankfully.

Her friends scowled at her, "Emma. Just because your actual birthday is over doesn't mean we have to stop celebrating!" Alex continued with a pointed look. "So we'll see you tomorrow afternoon, right?" she asked, dragging out the last word.

Finally, Emma agreed with a small nod and a very long drink of her wine.

**~K&E~**

"You sure you don't want some company?" David asked as they stood outside Emma's apartment building. Mary Margaret stood next to him, his arm wrapped around his wife in an attempt to keep away some of the cold.

"I'm sure. Plus, you two need to get home to James. I don't want my godson missing his parents" Emma laughed, pushing them back towards the cab. "I'll be fine."

Mary Margaret didn't look convince, "alright, but if you need anything, don't hesitate to call. I know how hard birthdays can be for you."

"I know, but really, I'll be fine. I'm probably just going to go to bed anyways" she said, giving a last hug to her closest friend before she got into the cab. "Thanks for everything guys." Closing the door of the car, Emma stood on the curb, waving as they drove away, before turning to her apartment building.

After the four flights of stairs, she made her way into her small apartment, kicking off her heels as she went. The bag in her hand held the last of the cupcakes from her birthday dinner, and she set it on the kitchen counter. Boxes were still piled up all over the apartment, since she had only moved in the week before, but otherwise it was dark and quiet. It was just her. No one else. No Neal, no Walsh, no friends or family.

Of course, Emma was extremely thankful for the group of friends she had, but it still left little orphan Emma, celebrating another banner year with a cupcake. Reaching into the bag, she pulled the box out and found a candle. It was a simple blue star, and she stuck it into the top of the small cake and lit the wick. Leaning down on her forearms, placing her chin on top, she closed her eyes.

And Emma Swan made a wish.

**~K&E~**

"Come on Emma, let's see!" Ruby called from the living room.

Slowly, the door opened and Emma appeared. "I hate you. You know that, right?" she commented as she made her way into the room, tugging on the black leather dress her friend had put her in. "I don't see why I need to wear this."

"You realize that you've worn this dress on dates with scumbags before, right? Might as well actually wear it on a night out for yourself" Alex pointed out. "Plus, you look amazing in it."

"I don't care how amazing I look. Are you sure I need to go?"

"You're going Emma. Period."

She sighed and returned to her bedroom to look at herself in the full length mirror. "I suppose you'll want me to wear my heels again" she called out to them, and she knew they were nodding as they yelled their confirmation. Ruby and Alex never missed an opportunity to get her dressed up and to a club, and considering that this was the first time she had gone in months, they were more excited than usual, if that was even possible.

A moment later they were standing in her bedroom doorway, her clutch in their hands as they stared her down. "Time to go." With another sigh, Emma slipped into her heels and followed them out of her apartment, locking the door behind her.

**~K&E~**

Neverland was by far the most popular club in town. When it opened, several people decided that while inside its walls, you never grew old, and the theme stuck. Since Ruby bartended at the club, it was their general hotspot when it came to nights out, but on this particular evening, even she had the night off.

A stage at one end of the club held Ruby's favorite band, The Merry Men. It seemed natural for the group to be performing at Neverland, considering their lead singer was a man named Robin Hood, and his "Merry Men" were made up of the other "characters" of the Robin Hood story. Robin was easily Ruby's favorite, but Emma had to laugh since her friend had almost died when he had gotten married a few months previous.

Now though, Ruby was obviously back to normal, standing at the very front of the crowd at the edge of the stage, reaching out and singing along to the group. Alex was next to her, leaving Emma at the bar towards the back of the club. She had never really been a fan of the crazed band groupie, but a bit of wine did her well as she sat there, laughing every so often at Ruby's antics, when she saw them.

In fact, Emma had really been enjoying herself, for once. She hadn't been out like this since before Walsh, and that felt like ages ago. Maybe Ruby and Alex had been right, she needed this. A night off wasn't the worst idea, right? It was like she was going to meet someone or…

"Not much for The Merry Men?" asked an accented voice from beside her, and Emma turned to look at who the voice belonged to.

So much for not meeting any guys.


	2. Chapter 2: Trust

**Wow! I just want to thank each and every one of you for the spectacular response so far to this story! It means the world to me! **

**As promised, here is the weekly chapter. Unfortunately my internet at home isn't any better, but I'm pushing forward with the story on my laptop nonetheless, meaning that you can count on a new chapter each and every week (right now I'm looking at Tuesdays...but that may change for one week because I'll be in Florida). I'm pretty proud of the fact that I'm done with prewriting through half of chapter 7 and I'm currently writing Chapter Five, and I'm quite happy with how it's progressing. But enough teasing for today. **

**I'm still looking for a beta if anyone is interested! Just send me a message! **

**I love reviews as well, and if you have questions about where the story may go in the future, feel free to send those too! I'll do my best to answer each and every one of them, despite my irritating internet. **

**Thanks again everyone! Much love for you all! **

* * *

**Family**

* * *

Chapter 2: Trust

**_10 Years Ago_**

_It wasn't an especially busy supermarket, and that's why she picked it. Living out of the car when she had been with Neal had seemed easy. They had always worked as a team, him distracting the owner of the shop while she picked up food and necessities. They found motels to shower and sleep in from time to time, but mostly they would curl up in the back seat of the bug. They had made it work somehow, although now Emma was uncertain of how it had ever been comfortable. _

_There were a few people around, but eventually she was able to find an isle that appeared empty. Snatching a few apples off the shelf, she tucked them into her coat, about to move on to the oranges next, when a throat cleared behind her. _

_"You don't have to steal those you know." Emma froze. She had been caught. Great, just great. Out of jail for barely a month and she'd be on her way back faster than she had gone in the first time. What she didn't expect was for a soft hand to reach out and grab the apple that was still in her hand. "How many do you need?" _

_Slowly, she turned to look at the source of the soft voice, "You want to help me? You just caught me trying to steal and you want to help me?" _

_The woman standing beside her simply nodded. She was young, not much older than Emma, with short black hair and green eyes that reminded Emma of her own. "Of course I'll help you. No one should have to go without food. Plus, you look like you've had a rough day." More like a rough year Emma thought to herself. "I'm Mary Margaret" she continued, balancing her basket so she could hold out her hand for Emma to shake. _

_"Emma, Emma Swan" she responded, carefully taking the hand and shaking it. "You really don't need to help me."_

_"It's the least I can do, especially since I was just teaching my class about random acts of kindness today" Mary Margaret explained, picking up a few more choice apples and adding them to her basket for Emma. _

_She followed as the woman walked through the produce isles, "You're a teacher then?" _

_"Yes, best job in the world if you ask me" she said with a smile. "Do you have a job?" Emma could detect a hint of concern in her voice, despite the fact that such an expression seemed foreign. _

_"No. I…I just…" she stuttered, debating on whether to tell her the truth right away or not. _

_"You don't have to tell me you know. I trust you." _

_A few minutes later, Emma found herself at the cash register, trying to avoid the sideways glance that cashier was giving her as she pulled the last couple of apples out of her coat pockets. Mary Margaret had bought her various other things besides the fruit, including a few bottles of water, some granola bars and other food that would keep for more than a few hours. She had them bagged up and handed it to Emma as they walked out. _

_She figured that Mary Margaret would head to her own car after Emma said thank you while they walked out the doors, but much to her surprise, she followed her to the yellow bug parked on the side of the parking lot. One glance into the backseat was all it took for her to say something, "Are you living out of your car?" Emma looked down at her feet, but didn't say anything else. She knew it wasn't ideal, but it was all she had. "Hey," Mary Margaret continued, "Listen. I know I just met you and everything, but I have a spare room in my apartment. It's just me and my cat, and you're more than welcome to stay there a few days. Maybe it'll help get you back on your feet."_

_"I can't ask you to…" Emma started again, looking up quickly at the woman next to her. _

_"Random acts of kindness, remember?" she smiled, cutting Emma off. "Plus, you seem like you could use a friend." She was right. A friend was something she hadn't had in a long time. Not since Neal. "At least just think about it she said, putting her own bags down and digging out a piece of paper and a pencil. Using the hood of the car, she wrote down an address, "If you change your mind, feel free to stop by. You're welcome anytime, ok?" _

_"Why are you doing this?" she asked, confused, as she accepted the piece of paper. _

_"Like I said, I trust you." _

**~K&E~**

**Present Day**

"Come on James, it's just some carrots. Nothing to turn your head at" Emma said, trying to encourage her godson to eat the mashed vegetable off the spoon. "It's good, see?" she commented, taking a bite for herself, only to make a face and throw the spoon down. James laughed, "I get your point. No more carrots."

At the sink across the room, Mary Margaret let out a laugh, "you keep doing that and he'll never eat carrots for the rest of his life."

"I don't blame him. These are awful, just awful." Emma stood and carried the jar and spoon to Mary Margaret, who was washing the dishes from their lunch. Grabbing a jar of peaches and a new spoon, she returned to her spot by James, who, thankfully, happily ate his food this time. She was so focused on the little boy eating that she missed what Mary Margaret was saying to her. "Huh, what?"

She laughed again, using the dishrag to wipe off a plate, "I was just asking about the concert the other night. You know I'm normally not one for the grape vine, but I heard a rumor that you were talking with a very cute guy."

"Ruby and Alex told you, didn't they?" Emma returned with a frown. "Can't they keep their lives to themselves? I would have thought that with Ruby dating Victor it would have gotten better, but apparently not."

"Oh Emma" Mary Margaret sighed, finishing the last dish and making her way over to sit next to her friend, drying her hands as she walked. "You know it's ok, right? Just because Walsh left you doesn't mean everyone will."

"Whatever you say. But you know, maybe I'm just not ready to be dating."

"And yet you were talking with him pretty intently from what I hear" she smiled. Emma just glared at her before feeding James another spoonful of fruit. "Are you going to tell me the whole story or not?"

"Are you going to pull the 'You set me up with David so I want you to be happy too' card?'" Emma asked with a smirk.

"Would it make a difference?"

Emma turned back to James, "No. Not really."

"Come on, just tell me. I shouldn't have to go to Ruby and Alex to hear about your love life. As we just decided, they aren't the most reliable resource."

"Fine" Emma sighed, setting the spoon and fruit down on the table, despite the fact that James was protesting.

**_Four Days Earlier _**

_"Not much for The Merry Men?" asked an accented voice from beside her. She turned to look at him, her eyes immediately catching onto his bright blue ones before scanning his face. He had what appeared to be perfect dark hair and his jaw was lined with just the right amount of scruff to make a woman go wild. Not that she was, but it suited him well. He was fit, that was for sure, and wearing dark jeans and a blue button down that complimented his eyes. The top few buttons were undone, allowing for just the right amount of chest to show, soft tufts of hair lining it. _

_"No. Well…I mean…" she said awkwardly, reaching for her wine to take another long drink. _

_Once she had put down her glass he leaned in, whispering in her ear, "It's surprising, Lass, how you're resisting me. Normally the girls all go for the moviestars like me." _

_Emma had to resist the urge to roll her eyes, "moviestar?" she asked, regaining her confidence. This was nothing compared to some of the guys she faced. "You're lying." _

_"I'm afraid not. I just got back from shooting my latest film yesterday" he continued, leaning back against the counter._

_"And what movie would that be?" _

_"Just a little film called Peter Pan. It's a live action version." _

_Turning away from him she continued, "And just what part did you play? A lost boy?"_

_"Captain Hook, actually" he said, his voice lilting as he so obviously flirted. _

_Emma laughed, "What, no waxed mustache and perm for your version of the pirate?" _

_"Not this time, Love."_

_"Or anytime. I stand by my assessment. You're lying. You see, I have this…let's call it a superpower. I'm pretty good at telling when someone is lying to me." _

_"And you think I'm lying?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. _

_Emma stood, grabbing her glass as she went, "I don't think, I know. Now if you'll excuse me" she said, beginning to walk away. _

_"Hey, wait" he called out, his voice changing as he grabbed onto her arm. _

_Oh yeah. If she hadn't been irritated before, she was now. "What?" _

_"Good for you. You saw right through my façade. I can count the number of people who have done that on one hand. Most girls just fall for the whole moviestar thing."_

_"And what, you take them home and bed them like another conquest?" she asked, trying to pull away. He let her go easily, but something in his eyes told her to stay. _

_"No, nothing like that. It's just, I've been on a streak of bad dates lately and it's an easy way to figure out which people are, I don't know, real. God that sounds bad."_

_Emma's expression softened, "No, I guess it makes sense. I certainly know what it's like to have people pretend that they're something they're not. Although I don't appreciate the lying." _

_He laughed, setting his glass down and reaching out his hand towards her, "Understood, and I promise that from this moment forward I won't tell you another lie. Killian Jones, by the way. I assure you that's my real name."_

_She eyed him for a minute before taking his hand in her own, "Emma Swan. And remember, if you do lie about something, I'll know."_

_"Understood, milady." Milady? Who the hell called anyone 'milady' anymore? Either way, Emma returned to her seat, only to find that over the next hour she was more than happy in her discussion with this Killian Jones. He was the head of a personal cruise service, taking groups out on private tours of the coast or river. He told her about how sometimes his customers would want to fish, and other times they'd just want to go out on the water, but either way he loved his job because he loved the sea. _

_Another drink, which he bought for her, brought them to the reasons they found themselves at Neverland that night, both dragged by friends. Turned out that he actually knew Robin Hood, a fact that made Emma giggle. She couldn't wait to tell that one to Ruby. He had come on a night off, just as she had, but eventually, even that couldn't be pardoned forever. _

_After a while, his phone went off, and he instantly looked at it, picking it up. He held up a finger to tell her "just a minute" and she just nodded and took another drink in response. "Yeah? Wait…what happened? He did what?" she could hear him saying frantically into the phone. "Of course. Ok, I'll be there soon." _

_"Everything ok?" Emma asked as he hung up and grabbed a napkin, frantically writing something on it. _

_"No. I apologize, but I have to go. Here" he said, holding out the napkin, "here's my phone number. Call me?" _

_It took all of a second for Emma to steal the pen he was holding and grab another napkin, writing her own number down. She held it out to him, "Here's mine. This way we're even" she commented. _

_"It was nice meeting you Swan" he said as he grabbed the napkin from her and headed out the door in a hurry. But she knew he wasn't lying. He had obviously been distressed. _

_"Nice meeting you too Jones." _

**Present Day**

"YOU GAVE HIM YOUR NUMBER?" Mary Margaret exclaimed, causing her son to look at her in a bit of confusion as she jumped up from the table.

"Yeah, so what?" Emma asked, picking up the spoon again to feed more peaches to James. The baby, as confused at his mother as he was, just turned back to his godmother and ate happily.

"Emma, you haven't given a guy your number in years. With Walsh we had to set you up. It wasn't a 'give me your number' kind of situation."

Emma sighed, "And we all know how Walsh worked out."

"Exactly. This is good for you. You have to call him."

"I do not!" she returned, pausing the spoon midway to James' mouth, "if he wants to call me he can but I'm not going to call him."

"You're not going to call who?" David asked as he entered the kitchen, a bag of groceries in his hand. He set them on the counter, looking at the two of them.

"Emma here" Mary Margaret explained, walking towards her husband to kiss him, "met this guy at Neverland the other night and refuses to call him despite the fact that they really hit it off and the only reason he left was because of an emergency call."

David laughed, holding up his hands in defense after kissing Mary Margaret. He walked to the table, picking James up out of his high chair and grabbing the food Emma had been feeding him. "This is obviously not my department, and it isn't his either" David commented, looking down at his son. "What do you say we get you out of here?" The baby gurgled and smiled. "Couldn't have said it better myself." And with that, David and the little boy left the room, leaving Mary Margaret to stare at Emma.

"I still think you should call him."

"You can keep saying that all you want, but it's not going to work."

"At least think about it?" Mary Margaret pleaded. "You deserve some happiness after the whole Walsh thing."

"And you think this Killian Jones is the one who will give that to me?"

"It's worth a shot. I mean, you did give him your number. That's unlike you, so there has to be a reason you did that."

"I trust him."

**~K&E~**

"You could give me a hand you know" Killian said, grabbing the pile of ropes in an attempt to untangle them.

"Not until you tell me about your date last night. You know I'm dying to hear about it."

"Jefferson" he said with a pointed look, stopping and holding the ropes in one hand, "you die every time I go on a date. In all honesty, one of these days I'm just going to let you go."

"Great, now you're quoting Frozen. Let it go! Let it go!" he started mumbling.

He laughed, "It's your own daughter's fault. Now are you going to help me or not?" he asked once again.

Jefferson didn't move an inch, "Why would I want to do that when you still have your lips sealed about Ariel."

"Look, I don't really want to talk about it" Killian sighed, turning back to his work. "It wasn't exactly what you would call 'the perfect date.'"

"That bad, huh?"

"Shut up Jefferson. I honestly don't even know why I went."

His friend stood and, for a moment, looked like he was actually going to lend a hand, but instead he just walked to the other side of the deck and leaned against the rail. They had been on the boat for most of the morning, getting it ready for a night sail later in the day, and for just about the entire time, Jefferson had been bugging him about his date the previous night with a girl named Ariel.

"Let me get this straight, first off. When we took Henry to the hospital the other night, she was the doctor on duty, right?"

"Well I'm glad you're here to tell us these things" Killain responded sarcastically. "You were there. You know very well who she is and what she looks like. By the way, how in the world did Henry end up jumping down from that tree?"

Jefferson's face got red and he changed the topic back to the date, "She was pretty cute and seemed awful nice. What the hell happened?"

"I just wasn't the right guy I guess. Not that it surprises me. That's what, the fourth date now?"

"I don't think it's you mate, but really, what happened?"

Killian sighed, frustrated with the ropes, dropping them onto the deck in submission before moving to sit on one of the cushioned benches. "We were having a great time and everything. Dinner was great, although turns out she has some weird allergy to seafood. Not sure" he shook his head. "Either way, everything was nice and then all of a sudden this guy behind us starts choking. Being a doctor and all, I guess she had to save him."

"Lucky bastard" Jefferson said, causing another pointed look from Killian. "Fine fine, go on."

"She went home with him to 'make sure he was alright'" he air quoted. "Haven't heard from her since."

"So she just ditched you?"

He nodded, "seems like it. But that's alright. Like I said, I'm not sure why I even agreed to go."

"Aside from the fact that our children seem to have some weird plot to find us true love?" Killian's only answer was a smirk. "What?" Jefferson retaliated, "It's true."

"Whatever you say mate. Either way, I shouldn't have agreed to it."

His friend sat down next to him, "Wait a minute. You've said that at least five times today, that you shouldn't have gone anyways or that you're not sure why you did."

"And?" Killian questioned, dragging out the word.

"That's not like you. Normally you just go to make Henry happy and never speak of it again aside from when I pry it out of you. Wait…did you meet someone the other day at Neverland?" Not wanting to answer the question, Killian quickly stood back up and returned to the ropes. "Aha! You did! Come on, who is it? Is she hot?"

"I don't have to tell you anything."

"Do we have to go through this again?" Jefferson pleaded. "Just tell me already."

"Fine. Her name is Emma, she has this bloody perfect blonde hair and the most beautiful green eyes I've ever seen and yeah, I like her. She's the first person to make it through the movie star test in how many years and I gave her my number."

"Wait, she passed the test?"

Killian smiled a bit, "yeah, she did. Didn't really like my lying to her, but after I told her the truth we got to talking, up until you decided to let my son jump down from the tree and I had to leave."

"Did she give you her number?" Killian nodded in response. "And have you called her?" No response. "Let me get this straight. You had a wonderful evening with the first girl to pass the test since…well…ever, she gave you her number and you still haven't called her?"

"I didn't think it appropriate when I was going out with Ariel."

"But you only went out with Ariel because Henry basically already had it setup when you go to the hospital."

"Right."

"Call her."

"I can't call her now!" Killian pleaded, stopping with the ropes again. Over the past few minutes he had grown increasingly frustrated with the one knot he tied just a little too tight and ended up throwing them onto the deck once more. "If I call her now I'll just be that idiot that didn't call. She's probably moved on to someone else."

"You don't know that."

"A woman like that? Yeah, I'm sure she's got dates lined up every day this month and…" he stopped when he noticed Jefferson's expression. "What?"

"Call her."

**~K&E~**

Killian stared at his phone. It never really changed, the screen purposefully stuck on the contact for Emma Swan. There was no picture, no address, just a name and a number, and he just couldn't get himself to hit the damn call button.

He was lying in bed, exhausted after the night cruise that had kept him from getting home until the house was dark and quiet, its inhabitants sound asleep. Still, the clock only read eleven, and he figured that she would still be awake. She had been, after all, out until later than that the other night.

Emma Swan, the beautiful girl he had met at Neverland. They said time stood still there, and boy it had for a few moments. No one had enchanted him like that for a long time, and the simple fact alone that she saw right through is false story showed him that she was most certainly a strong willed, but bloody brilliant lass. Plus, Henry had been trying to set him up on dates for weeks now, and if there was any indication that his son was ready for him to start dating again, despite the fact that he never really knew his mother, it was that.

Letting out a final sigh, Killian was about to hit call when his phone began to vibrate, the screen changing to indicate that the exact woman of his thoughts was indeed calling him. Fumbling to answer, he hit the button and brought the phone to his ear, "Hello?"

"Hi, is this Killian?"

"Emma?" he asked with a smile, knowing that she would probably be doing the same at the other end.

"Yeah. Phew, right number" she laughed awkwardly. "You know how it is. People giving out fake numbers and stuff."

"You really think I would do that to you?" Killian returned. "I'm wounded, Love."

There was silence at the other end of the line for a minute, but she soon continued, "Look, my friend told me that I should call you. I had a really nice time the other night, at least I'm pretty sure that's what I'm supposed to say. She wrote notes down for me but I didn't read them."

At that he outwardly laughed, "I had a great time too, until I was so rudely pulled away by the fact that my son broke his arm."

"Oh" she said, stopping short, the line growing quiet again. "You have a son?"

"Yeah, he's 10, but sometimes he gets the idea that he's older than that, especially when around my friend Jefferson. Actually, I was just about to call you because he told me that I should. I mean, I would have called sooner but…"

"It's fine. I understand, family comes first. Either way, thanks again for the other night. I'd better get…"

"Emma, wait" he said, causing her to pause once more on the other end of the line. "If you like, I wouldn't mind taking you out for dinner sometime. Or coffee. Or whatever."

"You aren't…"

"No, I'm not" he finished before she could.

"Well, then I guess that sounds nice. Any particular time or place?"

"Do you know Café Grumpy? It's a coffee shop down on…"

"Yeah, I do" Emma replied, and he knew she was smiling by the sound of her voice. It only caused him to smile too.

"Does Thursday at 11 work for you?"

"Yeah, it does. See you then?"

"Yep, Thursday" he confirmed one last time.

"Goodnight Killian" came her voice on the other end of the line, quiet this time, but sincere.

"Goodnight Emma."


	3. Chapter 3: Coffee

**Yet another Tuesday brings another chapter of the story! I'm still blown away by the response so far, especially since I generally don't do AU fics. So thank you to each and every one of you for reading! **

**I'm in the middle of writing Chapter 6, mostly because I've kept going back to rewrite things. But nonetheless, I'm loving how the story is progressing (honestly I love it more with each passing chapter). There's a lot of secrets and surprises in store! **

* * *

**I have two questions that came in through review that I already responded to, but figured that I'd answer in case anyone else was wondering! **

_**What was Henry doing up in that tree anyways? **_

**It's funny because this question prompted a scene that will be coming in later in the story (Chapter 6 to be exact). So you'll find out.**

_**How old is everyone? **_

**I am operating on the basis that Emma is still 28, just as she is at the beginning of the series. Henry is 10 as well, just as on the show. Killian, on the other hand, is, in my mind, 33, meaning that he would have been 23 when adopting Henry. Milah, who comes in during this chapter, is that age when she meets Killian (who, in the flashback here, is 20), making her around 26 when they adopted Henry. So, in short, Emma = 28, Henry = 10, Killian = 33. **

* * *

**Other than that, there isn't much else to say other than enjoy Chapter 3! Oh, and feel free to leave a review! I love questions, feedback and just generally talking to everyone. I respond to every review! =)**

* * *

**Family**

* * *

Chapter 3: Coffee

**_13 Years Ago_**

_The sun was shining brightly down on the harbor, a gentle breeze flowing in from the water. It was the absolute perfect day to be outside, especially for the two brothers currently fixing up an old ship. Liam had bought it a few months previous, surprising his little brother with the vessel as a "fixer upper" kind of project. Just something for the two of them to do in between the cruises. It had meant the world to Killian, only 20 and just starting out on his own, that his brother found something for them to do together, especially when it involved a ship. _

_And boy was __**The Jolly Roger**__ beautiful. It was old, that was for sure, but they had plans to restore it to its former glory and then use it for parties and general sailing. It was more of a novelty than anything though, they supposed. A good chance for brother bonding. _

_On this particular morning they were working on resurfacing the main deck of the ship, a difficult task for just the two of them, but they didn't mind how long it took. Liam had been telling him about his girlfriend, a young girl named Ava, and their bright plans for the future. "I'm going to propose to her next week" he had said. And they were laughing, just like old times, Killian joking that he would follow his brother off the edge of the earth if he went there, and Liam irritating him by calling him his Little Brother instead of Younger Brother as Killian preferred. _

_But happiness cannot last forever. Suddenly, Liam stopped midsentence, hand over his chest. "Liam? LIAM?" Killian called, turning around to watch his brother fall to the deck. He raced to his side, "No no no no no, don't leave me. Don't do this. Liam?" he asked, his brother's eyes closing after a whispered goodbye. He never knew what hit him, but Killian stayed on the deck, screaming cries for help as his brother grew limp in his arms. _

_The funeral was held a week later. There weren't many there other than the most loyal patrons of the cruise company and other community members and friends of his brother. Killian sat up front, Ava at his side. Liam had died of a sudden heart attack, one no one could really have predicted, and now his body lay in a casket at the front of the church. He would be cremated, his remains scattered over the open water like a sailor, since a traditional sailor's burial was impossible. _

_Killian had spent the week mostly alone, in his apartment, drinking the entirety of his small alcohol supply before going out to buy more. Jefferson had tried to cheer him up, but found it impossible. Liam's death had taken Killian to a dark place. For his safety, after five days of drinking everything he found, Jefferson removed the alcohol supply and kept a close eye on his friend, up until after the funeral itself. _

_Deciding that staying in the town any longer would just about kill him, and with a few days left until Liam's body would be turned into ash, he decided to go for a drive, borrowing Jefferson's car and heading out of town until he found a small diner in a sleepy little community. The neon light above the door read "Granny's," and he walked in to find it quiet. Granted, it was late, too late for him, or anyone, to be out like this, meaning that the diner was empty aside from a young waitress behind the counter. _

_He sat at a stool and let out a long sigh, the waitress immediately coming up to him with a steaming cup of coffee. "I didn't order that."_

_"It's on the house. You look like you could use it" she simply commented, leaning with her elbows on the counter in front of him. "Can I get you anything else?" _

_Killian simply shook his head and thanked her for the coffee. Soft music played in the background, something from the 50's he supposed, and he tuned out everything except for the quiet notes. _

_Her voice brought him back to the land of the living, and he stared at her, confused having missed what she said. "I'm sorry, could you say that again?" _

_She smiled, "I was just saying that I get off my shift in a few minutes and was wondering if you want to talk. I don't know about you, but I've been a waitress long enough to know when someone needs a friend to chat with." _

_He continued with his blank look, not sure what to say, but eventually nodded. When the young woman did get off her shift, she pulled a stool up on the other side of the counter and sat there. They talked long into the night. He told her briefly about the loss of his brother, and she shared a solemn story about losing her father in a similar way. He explained about his job and how he wasn't sure where, at 20, he was supposed to go from there, to which she just made a joke about the fact that, at 23, she hadn't gotten any further than the little diner in her hometown. _

_It was hard for him not to notice her mussed black curls, or the deep color of her eyes. She had a gentle face, but one worn with scars that she didn't necessarily want to bear. It was obvious that she hadn't lived a perfect life, but neither had he, and in that way, they seemed like kindred spirits, understanding the loves and losses of the other without asking. _

_And when they finally moved to part ways somewhere around three in the morning, Killian helping her into her coat, he realized that he didn't even know her name. Stopping her just before she went out the door she turned and met his gaze, "Milah. My name is Milah." _

**Present Day **

Killian couldn't quite recall the first time he stepped foot into Café Grumpy. Maybe it had been with Jefferson, or possibly Regina. Hell, it could have been Henry who first pulled him into the little bakery. But either way, at some point, it had become his favorite spot, and he stopped there just about every morning for a coffee on the way to the harbor.

Today, however, on this bright Thursday morning, he wasn't heading to the harbor at all. Instead of going through the line as he normally did, Killian sat at a table near the window, where he was sure Emma would be able to find him. He was a few minutes early, not wanting to make her wait, but it didn't take long for her to show up a minute or two later. She walked through the door and he spotted her first, watching as her face lit up in a smile as she found him.

She was wearing a simple blue shirt, covered by a bright red leather jacket, and jeans tucked neatly into boots. Plopping herself down at the table, she put down her keys and laughed, "I was starting to get worried that I wasn't going to make it on time. You wouldn't believe the traffic this morning."

"Can't say I have too much experience" he replied, "I walk to work each day, stopping here for coffee on the way. I just live down the street" he continued, gesturing with his hand in the direction of his building.

"Lucky you" Emma added with a smirk. "So, have you ordered already?"

Killian shook his head, "I figured I would wait for you, since I don't know your order yet." A moment later he called a waitress he knew over, Ashley, and ordered his regular and motioned for Emma to do the same. After Ashley walked away with the order of a chai latte and Americano, Emma turned back to Killian.

"So, this awkward first date kind of thing, huh?" she laughed.

"Only if you want it to be awkward and you consider this a first date."

"Well I guess it is. What else do two people do at a coffee shop like this, casually sitting together at eleven in the morning on a Thursday?"

"Drink coffee?" he suggested simply, causing her to giggle.

"I suppose you're right. Look, I normally don't do this whole date thing. You heard what I said the other night, Mary Margaret had a script written up for me for when I called you."

"I have yet to meet this Mary Margaret, but it reminds me of my friend Jefferson. He went on and on the other day about how I was supposed to call you."

"She's, interesting" Emma laughed, "but I love her. She helped me through some tough times a while back. Well, more like a long time ago. Since then she's been my best friend. It's funny though, because the reason she uses for setting me up with guys is that I set her up with her husband, or rather that I told her to ask him out. Turns out they are basically the perfect couple. They have a son now, my godson, James. They're like family." Killian watched as she lit up while talking about them, knowing all too well how important it was to have people who cared about you. "You said on the phone that you have a son? That was the reason you had to leave?"

Now it was his turn to light up, "Yeah, his name's Henry. We adopted him 10 years ago, my wife Milah and I."

"I thought you said…" Emma started, obviously offended.

"No, Milah…she…passed away around 8 years ago" he offered solemnly.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to…"

Killian smiled again, "It's fine, Love. I miss her, but without her I wouldn't have Henry. Deciding to adopt him was her idea, and now he means the world to me. He keeps me going, that's for sure. And on my toes. Then again, I suppose it's not really his fault he broke his arm, more like Jefferson's fault."

"They spend a lot of time together then? Henry and Jefferson?" Emma asked just as their coffee arrived, Ashley carefully setting down the mugs on the table before leaving again.

"Yeah, I guess. Normally Henry's with me, when he's not at school. But Jefferson helps watch him when I have late cruises or really need a night off. Regina helps too. She's like a second mom to Henry I guess. But that's a long story, much too long of a tale for now."

Emma took a drink of her chai, "fair enough. But let's see, Killian Jones. Tell me something else about yourself."

From there the conversation ranged all over the place. They talked about their favorite foods, favorite movies, all the usual icebreaker questions. Eventually he told her stories about the crazed guests that sometimes boarded one of his cruises, and she told him tales of the people she chased down as a bail bondsperson. Over an hour later, their coffee cups dry and plates of food they ordered later empty, they realized that the world was still waiting for them, and as much as they hated to say it, they had better be leaving.

"You know Killian, I haven't had such a nice time in years" Emma commented as she ran her finger along the rim of the cup in front of her.

"Jefferson will be happy to know that I actually enjoyed a date for once" Killian laughed, "which means I've had a great time too. Look, The Merry Men are going to be playing again in the area this weekend. If you wanted to bring your friend Ruby about, I could get us all backstage before the show."

"You'd do that?" she asked.

"Of course. It's no problem. Robin will be happy to make yet another crazed fangirl's dreams come true, aside from the whole marrying him thing. He's very happy with Regina." They both laughed again, "If you don't want to we could maybe get together some other time."

Emma flashed him a grin, "No, I'd love to, and I'm sure Ruby will be more than excited. But for the record, another time after that sounds kind of nice too."

**~K&E~**

"So, how was your date?" Ruby asked, causing Emma to jump as she opened the door of her apartment.

"RUBY! How the hell did you get in here? You scared me half to death" Emma yelled, quickly closing the door behind her.

Her friend simply help up a keychain with a couple of keys on it, "You always seem to forget that I have a spare key to your apartment and know the code to buzz in downstairs."

"Fine, whatever" Emma said, dropping her own keys on the table and taking off her jacket.

"Are you going to answer my original question or not?" Ruby asked again as Emma hung her jacket before landing on the couch, her face in a pillow.

"Do I have to tell you?" came her muffled voice.

"Yes."

Emma moved so she could glare at Ruby with one eye. "You know, for a girl who keeps her relationship so quiet, you sure are into the personal lives of the rest of us."

"Someone has to ask the difficult questions. Now spill. I want to know all about Killian, especially since Mary Margaret told me you gave her the dish the other day."

"And we all know how you hate being last to know about Emma's love life" she said sarcastically, gaining an irritated expression from Ruby. "Fine fine. Killian was really nice. We went to this café downtown, and before you ask, he paid for the food and coffee. Told me about his son and his job and his life and stuff."

"Woah, son? Since when does he have a son?"

"Since ten years ago I guess. His name's Henry and you should have seen him light up talking about him. The reason he had to leave Neverland last week was actually because Henry broke his arm trying to jump down from a tree. Don't ask me what else all went down, but from the looks of it, it wasn't the kid's fault at all. Gosh I pity Killian's friend Jefferson. Anyway, it was nice and we decided to go out again this weekend."

Ruby looked shocked, "This. Weekend? You? Emma Swan? On two dates in the same week?"

"Yeah, what's so weird about that?"

"It's just, you haven't really done the dating thing since the whole Walsh fiasco and…"

Emma rolled her eyes, "does everyone really need to keep bringing that up? So what, I met a guy I like and we decided to go out again this week."

"Are you going to meet his son?"

"No, not that I know of. I think it's a bit soon for that, but I do know that you're about to be jumping off the walls of this apartment. Before you do though, I ask you to be careful…don't break anything, ok?"

"I cross my heart and hope to die" she said, waving her fingers above her chest, "now spill."

"Well you see, the reason Killian was at Neverland was actually because he knows the lead singer of The Merry Men, and they're playing in town again this weekend…"

"OH MY GOD."

Emma didn't even finish her sentence, letting her forehead hit her palm, "Here we go."

"YOU DIDN'T. HE DIDN'T."

"Yes Ruby" she said more than a little unenthusiastically. "He did. If we get there early before the show, Killian will bring us backstage to spend time with the band."

"EMMA SWAN YOU NEED TO MARRY THIS MAN RIGHT NOW."

**~K&E~**

Just as he promised, when Ruby and Emma showed up a few nights later, Killian was waiting, a smile coming across his face when he saw them. "You decided to come, huh? No bailing on me tonight?"

Emma returned the smile, "No, not tonight. Plus, once I told this one" she continued, pointing to Ruby, "that you could get us in backstage, it wasn't like I had a choice."

Ruby hit Emma's arm before turning back to Killian, "Don't listen to her. Hi, by the way, I'm Ruby, Emma's best friend. It's great to meet you!" she rambled on, shaking Killian's hand, causing him to wear a shocked expression that made Emma giggle a bit. "Now, I hate to be rude, but you said we can get in backstage?"

He nodded with a laugh, "Yeah, right through the door here. They're inside." Ruby rushed past him, opening the door with a squeal.

"Try not to kill them Ruby!" Emma called after her before Killian turned back towards her.

"Seems like your best friend is more than a little excited."

"I tried to warn you, but for the record, she's not really my best friend. Sometimes I disown her when we come to these concerts. So for tonight's purposes I'm here all alone" Emma commented.

"No," Killian returned, holding out his arm for her to take. "If anyone asks, you're not here alone, you're here with me."

All Emma could do as she hooked her arm in his, was smile.

**~K&E~**

Meeting The Merry Men had been an interesting experience with Ruby along. The guys were nice, of course, and according to Ruby, everything she dreamed of, which Emma made a note to tell Victor about. He apparently had some competition when it came to winning Ruby's heart. She spent the good part of an hour trying to ask them just about every question in the book, while Robin in particular was more interested in learning about Killian's new "girlfriend," a title they had quickly dismissed due to the fact that this was only their second time out. That is, unless you counted Neverland, which Ruby and Robin quickly did.

"You must be pretty special if Killian took you out more than once" Robin laughed with a glance at his friend. "When I first met him I'm pretty sure we had to push him out the door on a date."

"Well considering I called him first" Emma responded, nudging Killian in the side and causing his face to turn a bright red, "I can't say it's much different now."

"For your information" Killian said as he scratched right behind his ear, "I was about to call you when my phone went off."

Robin laughed, "Sure. We'll let you go with that story, for now."

"If you idiots don't want to believe me you don't have to. But I can assure you Emma," he said, turning to her, "I'm telling the truth." She smiled in return, knowing that there wasn't a hint of a lie in his voice.

A few minutes later after pictures and goodbyes and hugs and prying Ruby away from the band, they made their way out into the crowd to enjoy the show. Unlike at Neverland, Emma and Killian stayed with Ruby near the front of the crowd, her enjoying the music and dancing with her friend while he reveled in the brilliant joy that lit her face as she did so.

Eventually, Killian noticed that the smile that had graced her disappeared, despite the fact that Ruby stood beside her as crazy as ever. Then, without warning, he was pulling her away. "Killian, where are we going?" she asked as he weaved them through the crowd to a back corner. "What are you doing?"

"Saving you, of course."

"From what?" she asked with a smirk as they stood in the shadows, closer than they had been before.

He waved his hand, "ah, just Ruby. I know you aren't much for the crazy fangirl life."

"And how do you know that?"

"You're something of an open book to me." If he hadn't been flirting before, he was now. "Plus you were looking kind of tired. Figured you could use a break."

Emma tilted her head, "I see. So you just knew that I needed to come back here?"

"Does that surprise you?" he asked, taking another step closer.

"Well it's not like you've known me for that long or anything. Most people can't read their dates that well on the second time out."

"Third, actually, according to Robin and Ruby, remember?" He raised an eyebrow, his voice growing deeper, although no harder to hear above the music that echoed throughout the room thanks to his close proximity.

She smirked again before growing serious, "Thank you. You were right, I needed a break."

"Perhaps" he said with a touch of his fingers to his lips, "Gratitude is in order now?"

Emma shook her head at him, "Please, you couldn't handle it."

"Perhaps you're the one who couldn't handle it." His accent was doing things to her, but she stood there for a moment longer, sizing her options, until her resolve broke and she grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, pulling him towards her in a heated kiss. The music from The Merry Men grew a bit louder as she ran her fingers through his hair and his hand came up to cup her head. It was hot, it was fast, it was fire, and it was all over much faster than it started.

Suddenly Emma pulled back, still clutching his shirt. "That was…" he said, barely a whisper.

"A one-time thing." She released him, taking a step away and pausing, her back still to him, "Don't follow me." And then she was gone, pulling Ruby out of the crowd and through the door, much to her friend's disappointment, and Killian's. He stood there, his fingers ghosting his lips once more as he watched her go, whispering three simple words, "As you wish."

**~K&E~**

Emma Swan was having the absolute worst day of her entire life. She had woken up to find herself running extremely late for a meeting, and she had forgotten to take out her contacts the night before, meaning that her eyes were dried out and red.

Jumping in the shower hadn't helped either, since she had forgotten to call her landlord about the little "cold water" problem. Either way, 15 minutes later she left the apartment. Glasses and clothes thrown on in haste weren't her favorite way to meet a new client, but it was all she had time for.

However, it had all been for nothing anyway, since this new client hadn't shown up, leaving Emma frustrated as she walked back towards her apartment, deciding to forego the cab and just use the walk to calm herself down. But that hadn't been the best idea either as a crack of thunder shook her out of her thoughts and the rain started it's downpour on her. "Great, just great" she muttered, digging through her bag for the umbrella she had forgotten.

By the time she had made it back to the apartment, she was soaked to the bone, angry, frustrated, tired and very hungry. She hadn't even had coffee yet, but was looking forward to some of the warm beverage once she made it back to her own kitchen. Only she wasn't going to make it there either.

Stepping out of the elevator and moving towards her door, she found Killian sitting on the floor outside her apartment. When he noticed her he jumped up.

"What are you doing here?" she asked quickly, stopping her digging through her bag for her keys as she stared at him. "How the hell did you get in here?"

He held out a travel cup for her, "I brought you coffee, and you know, it really isn't that hard to get into apartment buildings. People are awful gullible when it comes to someone saying there's a delivery waiting for them."

"You really tricked someone into buzzing you in? Who does that?" She said, eyeing him and his coffee suspiciously.

"It's not poisoned or anything you know. Just coffee."

Emma started digging through her bag again, "I can pay you back. You don't need to be buying me…"

"Consider it a gift, Love. You look like you could use it." He held the coffee out again for her to take, and she did so slowly. They stood there a minute longer before she let out a long sigh and dropped her bag down, moving so she could collapse against the wall. She sunk to the floor then, coffee still in her hand. "Rough day?" he asked, sliding down next to her.

"You have no idea. And thanks for the coffee, but to be honest, you're not the first person I wanted to see today. Or anyday"

He deserved it, that's for sure. "I shouldn't have pushed you the other night."

Emma looked down at her coffee, her fingers running along the side of the cup, "it wasn't your fault. It's just…things are moving too fast. I kissed you, not the other way around."

"But you wouldn't have kissed me if I hadn't pushed you" he responded to her. "It was bad form."

"Bad form?" she asked, turning to him with a laugh and a nudge. "What the hell is bad form?"

"Oh you know, the usual." He stretched out his legs before him, "obnoxiously hitting on girls, going too fast with things. Generally everything my friend Jefferson does" Killian joked.

"I feel like I need to meet this Jefferson."

"Only if I get to meet Mary Margaret" he said, and when she took in his expression, she knew he wasn't kidding. The smile that had been on her own face slowly disappeared then.

"Let me ask you something" Emma continued, going back to her coffee and refusing to look at him. "This feels way too early to be asking thing, but where exactly do you see this going? This thing between us?"

It was his turn to sigh, "I don't know really. I wasn't lying when I told you I really have been having a nice time with you. My son has this tendency to set me up on dates all the time. Last week it was a girl named Ariel who ditched me for another guy because he choked on some food and she 'wanted to make sure he was ok.' Before that it was this girl who called herself Tink, not that the date lasted long enough for me to find out why. She had herself convinced that I was only there with her to make someone else jealous. And don't even get me started on Aurora, the girl who actually did only go out with me to make someone jealous."

"So your son tries to set you up with women? Talk about a wingman in training."

"I guess you could say that" he laughed, "but I mean it. It's not just that you aren't the first one to ditch me on a date. I suppose I should ask the same of you then. Where, Emma, do you see this going?"

She sighed, taking a quick drink of the coffee, finding it to be not coffee, but a chai latte. He remembered she thought to herself, "You know my coffee order?"

"You ordered chai at the café. I remembered. Why?"

"Walsh and I dated for months, but he could never remember my coffee order. Never."

"Walsh?" he looked at her, eyebrow raised in confusion. How he managed to do that all the time she would never know. When she didn't respond he continued, "If you don't want to talk about it or…"

"No, it's fine" Emma stopped him. "I dated him for around 8 months. We lived together. Everything was going great, until this one night he just proposed to me out of the blue."

Killian looked away, fiddling with his thumbs in his lap, "What did you say?"

"I told him I needed time to think" she stated simply, taking another drink from the cup. "He didn't like that answer. A few weeks later we broke up."

"Let me make sure I have this right, he broke up with you because you felt things were moving too fast?" She nodded slowly. "If that's why you ran the other night, I'm sorry. I really am. It's just, there's something different about you."

"What is this, a cheesy romance novel?" He was glad to see the smile return to her face as she talked. "Because that's certainly what it sounds like."

"I mean it" he smiled, nudging her arm playfully. "But we can take this at whatever speed you want. I won't push you Emma."

"What do you mean by that?" she said, looking at him, their smiles leaving and expressions growing serious.

"It means that I'm in this for the long haul."


	4. Chapter 4: Speed

**Greetings everyone! **

**I'm so sorry this is a day late. Yesterday was kind of a busy day for me and I just never got around to making the finishing touches and uploading it. But it's here now! **

**I know I do generally update on Tuesdays, but as of right now I'm about 90% sure there won't be a new chapter up next week. I'm heading on a trip to Florida, so I doubt I'll have the time (or internet) to upload a new chapter. I can't promise anything as of right now. But the following weeks everything should resume as normal. **

**This is a chapter that some of you have been asking about! Sort of...but I can't say anything else because I don't want to give things away before you read! But I will tell you that one of my favorite scenes from the entire story so far is in this chapter! =)**

**Thanks to everyone who's reading, favoriting, following and reviewing! It means a lot to me! Much love to you all! **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Family**

* * *

Chapter 4: Speed

**_10 Months Ago_**

_They had met in a furniture store. His furniture store to be exact. _

_After her apartment building in Boston had caught fire, destroying most of her belongings, Emma decided maybe it was time for a fresh start. Mary Margaret and David had moved to the suburbs of New York several weeks previous when David had been offered a new job. Plus, with their first child on the way it had sounded like a great time to settle into a house all their own. So she made the decision to join them, although an apartment downtown sounded like more her style. _

_Emma stayed with them for a while, Mary Margaret going with her to find a place to live, eventually settling on a small apartment that would be perfect as she began her new life in New York. Slowly they decorated the rooms, finding almost everything she would need, except for one last piece. _

_An end table was the reason Emma found herself in Walsh's furniture store. It was small, filled with modern and classic pieces alike. She had been to several stores previous, but one table in his shop simply stuck out to her as "the one." He promised her that the order would be filled within six weeks, and she had left with a smile. Four weeks later, he called to tell her it was waiting in the store, and then he offered to bring it by her apartment, which led to him helping her set it up. _

_When, the next day, Mary Margaret came over to see the finished product and the phone rang, Walsh on the other end, she basically forced Emma to agree to a date, although Emma found herself smiling at the prospect nonetheless. _

_The date itself came a week later, when he took her to an expensive restaurant that was reasonably less expensive for lunch than for dinner. Emma liked him, this Walsh, and couldn't help but laugh and smile throughout the meal as she learned more about him. He was originally from a small town in Kansas, to which she had made a yellow brick road joke. Then he told her about the furniture store and how he inherited it from his aunt. He had a weird fascination with monkeys apparently, which only made Emma laugh further at the Wizard of Oz connections, up until he explained to her that he had never actually seen the film. _

_They watched it on their second date. _

_From there on out, Emma found herself actually enjoying her new life. Dating hadn't been a piece of the puzzle in many years, at least not in the form of a real boyfriend. Not since him. But somehow Walsh easily fit into her life, a constant as she settled in. After a month or so, he met Mary Margaret and David. She adored him, but David stole curious glances every chance he got, and for some reason even little baby James was never too happy to see his "Uncle Walsh." It puzzled Emma, but she tossed it aside because she was happy. _

_But no relationship is truly perfect, and her relationship with Walsh was no exception. Emma had never been good with fast. The time spent with the first man she really, truly loved was rushed, only a few months in length, so she was hesitant to move too quickly now. But Walsh pushed her. _

_Every. Single. Time. _

_At first it just seemed normal, just him initiating the contact. When they kissed, he was the one to start it. He was the first to say "I Love You," although once he had, it surprisingly didn't take her long to respond in kind. He was the first to ask if he could stay the night in her apartment. First to suggest they move in together, and offer his apartment. First to do everything. _

_So when, eight months later, he took her to the same restaurant they went to on their first date, Emma couldn't help but be a bit curious. She knew it was expensive, and it wasn't an anniversary of any kind. Which could only mean one thing. _

_He proposed. _

_Eight months of dating and Walsh proposed. She was speechless, that was for sure, although not quite the kind of speechless he was expecting. Emma, frozen initially, jumped up from the table and grabbed her coat from the chair, rushing out of the restaurant as she pulled it on. She needed more than a few moments to think through a life changing decision. _

_"Emma!" he had called after her, and she paused out on the sidewalk as he caught up to her. "Here I thought the worst thing that could happen was that you'd say no. I never thought you'd walk out on the bill." _

_She breathed out as she turned to him, "Walsh."_

_"No no no, I was gonna pay. I was…kidding" he shook his head, obviously embarrassed. _

_"I'm sorry, this wasn't…you…just took me by surprise is all." _

_He gently touched her shoulder, "look, surprise was kind of part of the plan" he joked, "but I can see now that it was not a great plan, so…"_

_"Doesn't this all just seem a little fast to you?" Emma asked him. "I mean, we've only been together for eight months. I've had leftovers in my fridge for longer than that." _

_Walsh smiled, "I know. I threw them out. Might of saved your life." _

_"How do you…we…know that this is right?"_

_"Emma, speaking for myself, I've known that this is right since the minute you walked into my furniture shop. Why do you think your order was ready two weeks early?" _

_"Your commitment to excellence?" she asked, finally finding some light in the conversation. _

_"I couldn't wait to ask you out" he continued, touching her shoulders again. Always physical contact with him. "It seemed like the most non-stalkery way to speed things up."_

_"I love that end table." _

_"That's a start" he continued, the conversation finally calming. _

_"I do love you. You know that, right?" she asked him, suddenly worried that maybe he was asking her simply to call her his._

_"Yeah. I know. And I love you."_

_"I'm not good at…fast." _

_"I know" Walsh stopped her. "I knew who I was proposing to. I knew you would say this was too fast and that's why we don't have to get married any time soon. A year…or more" he laughed. "We could be 65 years old. I won't care. All I know is I want to spend the rest of my life with you." _

_Emma sighed, "Can I have some time to think?"_

_"Take as much time as you need" he had told her. "I will be here when you're ready." _

_Only he wasn't. _

_He had pushed her further after a few weeks, asking her if she had come to a decision, which, on some level she had. But it led to a fight, which led to her packing up her few possessions and leaving, happy to leave a broken end table in his living room as a token of their time together. _

_So Emma had once again stayed with Mary Margaret and David until she found another new apartment. She spent weeks throwing herself into her work, all while Alex and Ruby appeared with copies of cheesy romance movies and ice cream, trying to pretend she wasn't heartbroken. _

_But she was. She really, truly was. _

**Present Day **

"So…what happened here?" Emma asked as she read through the menu of the small restaurant. It was a small fish place, down by the water, the sun setting over the harbor.

Killian laughed, "You remember when I told you about Ariel? Yeah, I brought her here" he explained with a wave of his hand. "Didn't start out great because turns out she hated fish. Wouldn't touch the stuff. Then this guy named Eric starts choking right over…there." Emma followed his hand to see where he was pointing. An elderly couple sat at the table now, but for some reason she could picture the scene through his explanation. "She was a doctor and saved him, only to return to our table a while later saying she was going to accompany him home."

"She couldn't have been more obvious, could she?" Emma asked, smoothing out the napkin on her lap. Since finding Killian outside her door, they had taken things slowly, going out on dates here and there. After a few more stories from Killian about his son's setups, she decided that it would be fun to visit the old haunts, places they avoided because of the disastrous dates that took place there. So they did, alternating between the two of them.

Previously, they had visited a distinguished restaurant where Emma had been set up on a blind date by Alex. The guy had been a complete jerk and the night, unsurprisingly, had ended up with him being knocked out, a development in the story that had Killian laughing and teasing her for the remainder of the night. For the record, their date ended much better, with a light kiss at her door and a simple goodnight.

Then it had been the terrible tale of Tink. Killian still couldn't figure out why the young girl called herself that, but they decided at some point during their time at the crowded bar that she was called that because she was a stripper on the side. Henry had found her in the park while out with his dad, where she had been working on some sort of painting, and got his father to ask the girl out. Emma returned the favor from their previous date, jokingly asking if he was there with her to make someone jealous, but Killian only had eyes for Emma, dancing until they grew tired of the packed space and headed home.

A guy named John was the next to check off on Emma's list. He had brought her to a Chinese restaurant and ended up spilling food all over her lap, so Killian had surprised her. He dragged her into the restaurant by her hand and ordered her favorite food, which impressed her to no end since there was no way he knew that off the top of his head. He had just responded with some line about an "open book." There wasn't any food spilled that night, but Killian had been thoughtful enough to bring along a spare set of clothes for her had things taken a turn for the worst. She had simply laughed and punched him in the arm, telling him to stay out of her closet.

Which led them to The Sea Shack. The evening was quiet, Killian having left Henry with Jefferson, who had promised no more jumping from trees, and he had gone to Emma's apartment to pick her up. The dates had been nice, replacing the awful memories of each place with the new, good memories of time spent together. And for the first time in many years, Killian found himself smiling, happy to go on his fifth or sixth date with Emma.

Meanwhile, Emma was happy simply because they were taking things slowly. With Walsh everything had been so rushed, him pushing her limits, but Killian always let her make the first move. That wasn't to say he didn't flirt obnoxiously, teasing her every chance he got, but she enjoyed it.

"To be honest, Love, I was never too keen on going out with Ariel in the first place" he told her after they ordered, Emma causing him to laugh as she ordered everything with as much fish as humanly possible.

"And why was that?"

He smiled brilliantly, picking up his wine glass, "Because I met her at the hospital when Henry had broken his arm, the exact same night I met this infuriating lass with blonde hair and beautiful green eyes."

Emma smirked, "And did this, infuriating lass" she repeated, "prevent you from enjoying your date with Ariel?" Oh yes, the flirting game was strong tonight.

"Among other things, yes. I just couldn't get her out of my head. Still can't" Killian commented, leaning back in his chair. Emma gave him a fake shocked expression.

"You mean to tell me that she's still the object of your thoughts and yet you are here with me? That seems like awfully bad form."

"Well" he continued, "it would be bad form, except for there is one silver lining. That infuriating lass is right here with me."

Emma made a face while slowly pointing to herself, "Me?" They laughed then, each taking a drink of the wine that sat before them and relaxing further into their chairs. "You know Killian, these past few weeks have been really great, and I have to thank you for taking things slowly. I'm not good with fast."

"I know you aren't, but that's alright." He reached across the table to grab her hand and she intertwined their fingers slowly. "I'm just glad you keep agreeing to see me." She smiled in return and they were silent for a moment before she spoke up.

"You know, I was thinking."

"About me I hope" he said, his voice lilting with his accent.

Emma giggled, "Of course about you. But not only about you. See, it's my godson's first birthday this weekend and Mary Margaret and David are throwing a party and it's out in the suburbs and I have a lot of stuff to bring and could use some help and if you don't want to come you don't have to but…" she rambled on and on, until Killian caught her attention with a squeeze of her hand.

"I'd love to meet them."

**~K&E~**

Killian never had the distinct opportunity to meet Milah's parents, as they lived far, far away from their daughter, and for the most part, denied her existence altogether. So when Emma had explained to him one night that she was an orphan, never knowing who her parents were, much less ever meeting them, he breathed a silent sigh of relief. Everyone always heard the stories about meeting the in-laws, of the father staring the new boyfriend down the second he came through the door and then threatening him, explaining that "if he ever hurt his daughter…" and so on and so forth. Killian was no cowardly teenage boy, but the opportunity to miss such an experience was a huge relief.

After their dinner at The Sea Shack, she had gone on and on about little James and her suto-family, and he knew just how much his presence at the party would mean to her.

Now, he buzzed into Emma's apartment building, her greeting him through the system before he took the elevator up to her floor. She appeared only a moment after he knocked on the door, obviously a bit frazzled. "I'll be just a minute yet. So many things to remember! Mary Margaret asked me to bring…" she went on, jumping as he wrapped his arms tightly around her.

"Hey, calm down" he said, reaching a hand up to cup her cheek before kissing her slowly, letting her melt into his embrace. "Everything's going to be fine" he promised, pulling away. "Now, what can I help with?"

Twenty minutes later they had everything packed up in the car and were headed off to the Nolans'. "Just so you know" Emma had told him as she pulled onto the highway, "David gets a little…protective."

Killian glanced at her, "protective in what way?"

"Well, when Mary Margaret took me in and they started dating, we ended up becoming friends of some sort, and eventually he took it upon himself to assume the position of my over-protective father, despite the fact that we're pretty much the same age" she laughed awkwardly. "now he tends to drill any guy I bring home, which I assure you, doesn't happen very often."

"What kinds of questions are we talking about here? A man needs to be prepared."

"Well" Emma stated with a sigh, "What I brought Walsh home the first time, David threw him up against the wall and threatened to run him through with his sword if he ever hurt me."

"He what?" Killian asked, his voice breaking a bit as he did so, causing Emma to laugh once again.

"I'm just kidding. He wasn't quite that bad. Plus, as far as I know, Walsh is indeed still alive."

The man in the passenger seat next to her let out a sigh, "Thank God."

"But I'm not joking about one thing Killian. He _does_ have a sword."

**~K&E~**

Thankfully, David didn't threaten to run him through with anything, but his overprotective brother speech did scare Killian a bit, especially since the man was holding his young son as he made the threats. On one hand it made the two of them seem a bit less threatening, but on the other hand, young James had obviously inherited his father's ability to stare a person down.

Emma joined them a few minutes later, finally introducing him properly to Mary Margaret, who welcomed him instantly into a hug. Pleasantries were shared all around until the doorbell rang a few minutes later, signaling the arrival of the first guests for the party.

Killian couldn't count the number of "family" members he met over the next few hours, one after another asking Emma about the young man she brought home with her. For a woman who was an orphan, he noted that she was sure lucky to have so many people around her that obviously cared for her. Ruby showed up with her boyfriend Victor, who instantly hit it off with Killian. He later met Emma's other friend, Alex, whom Emma had to pry off of him after she started helplessly flirting. Killian simply smirked when Emma whispered "such bad form" into his ear before pulling her friend back towards the kitchen.

Sometimes he would watch her from afar, James staying mostly in the arms of either his parents or Emma, and he couldn't help but wonder what she might look like with a baby of her own. He couldn't help but chuckle a bit as she held a twisting and turning child in her arms as a friend of the family assaulted her with questions about her own love life and when she would be having kids of her own. If the look on her face was any indication, she couldn't have been more uncomfortable. He was about to go interrupt the conversation and save her, but Alex appeared a moment later, and it took a sneaky trip through the kitchen and around the house before she lost his trail.

Eventually, late into the afternoon, the party began to wind down. Cleaning was a breeze with a bunch of them helping, until Emma and Killian were the only guests that remained. He collapsed onto the couch, breathing a sigh before Emma appeared a moment later, baby James in her arms once again. "I don't think" she said to the little boy, "that you two have been formally introduced." Carefully, Emma sat down next to him and Killian couldn't help but smile. "James, this is Killian" she spoke softly, and the now one-year-old reached out a hand to grasp Killian's finger as he yawned, exhausted from the day's festivities.

"Hey Little Buddy," Killian responded, "Happy Birthday." Looking back to Emma he found her smiling brightly at him. "What?"

"Nothing" she giggled, "just, I think he likes you."

"Good to know I've passed the test" he smirked before leaning in for a stolen kiss."

"Hey!" David called as he entered the room at that exact moment, "no making out in front of my son!"

Emma twisted her head to look up at him, "Oh please, like you and Mary Margaret are any better."

"Maybe not" he continued, taking his son from Emma, "but we're his parents."

"And that gives you an excuse?"

"Yes. Yes it does. Right James?" He didn't answer, now sound asleep in his father's arms. "I see how it is. You're team Killian now." Emma laughed again before patting her boyfriend on the knee and standing. She placed a careful kiss on James' head before returning to the kitchen to say goodbye to Mary Margaret.

"The lad has the right idea" Killian chuckled before standing. "And just for the record, I fully intend on doing whatever it takes to make Emma happy."

"That's good to hear Jones. Because just remember, this time there's two of us you'll have to deal with if you break her heart" he finished with a nod to his son.

"Wouldn't have it any other way mate."

**~K&E~**

They were curled up on her couch, The Princess Bride playing on the television. It had been a quiet night, just the two of them, ordering Chinese food and watching movies. Occasionally they would find themselves more engrossed in each other than in the film, sitting there like two teenagers who couldn't seem to get enough of one another, but they made it work. Now, Emma sighed as she leaned back against his chest, Killian's arm coming to wrap around her waist. He carefully placed a kiss to the top of her head.

"Killian?" she asked quietly.

"Yes Swan?"

"I just wanted to say thank you for coming with me to the party the other day. It really means a lot to me."

He smiled, "it was my pleasure. Plus, I did finally get to meet Mary Margaret."

She turned around to face him, letting her hand come to rest on his chest, "No, really. You meeting James and being so good with him. I know he's just a baby, and that he's not even mine but…"

"You know he can still judge character and he's the most important thing in your life" he stated simply, bringing a smile to her face. "You must remember, Emma, that I am a father myself. Henry is always my number one priority."

"And he should be. It's just, Walsh never really liked James, and apparently my godson wasn't too fond of him either. Walsh never wanted to come over to Mary Margaret and David's, and honestly I don't think he ever even held him."

"Well I can't say I'm any better in that department, Love. I didn't hold him either technically."

"No, you didn't. But if I asked you to, would you want to go see him again? Would you want to hold him?" she asked him seriously, their gazes locking.

He nodded, "Yeah, I would." Tucking a few loose strands of hair behind her ear, he continued, "Emma, if James is important to you then he's important to me, and the same goes for everyone in your life because I would expect the same from you."

She giggled then, "I don't think I'll have a problem with that. I haven't even met anyone from your family and I already feel like they're a part of mine." With that, Emma settled back into his embrace, her eyes falling onto the movie playing once more. "Speaking of which, you seemed to meet just about everyone the other day.

"If you mean every single person who walked through that door, then yes, I'm pretty sure I met everyone."

"Good, maybe that'll shut them up" she muttered with a laugh, snuggling closer to him as she did so.

He put his hand under her chin to force her to look back up at him, "what do you mean?"

Emma sighed, although a smile was still present on her face, "For years, especially since Mary Margaret and David got married and had James, everyone is always asking me when I'll find someone to settle down with. When I first brought Walsh back to meet people they were all overjoyed, and then we broke up and they just kept getting on my case, especially after they found out he proposed." She finished, blushing a bit, but as she made eye contact with Killian she could see a mix of amusement, but also hurt there. "Hey," she continued, running her hand along his arm, "I don't mean it like you're just there to please my family. I really did want you to come."

A smile returned to his face, "I know, it's just, I'm thinking."

"About what?" she laughed awkwardly.

"Maybe it's time for you to meet my family."

**~K&E~**

Throughout the time they had been dating, if there was one thing Killian and Emma agreed on right away, it was that they were going to take things slow. And when you're a single parent, taking things slow means your girlfriend most certainly does not meet your son. This was all fine with Killian, despite the fact that he knew Henry would adore Emma.

It became a custom for him to walk through the door of their apartment after a date with Emma, only to have his son attack him from one side or another, and this time was no different. Returning from his evening at Emma's, Killian opened the door to find it quiet and dark. Definitely not a good sign.

"Henry?" he asked, shutting the door behind him and dropping his keys in the bowl on the table by te door. He turned the lights on and asked again, "Henry?"

Suddenly, out of nowhere, he was attacked by a flurry of arms as Henry and Grace grabbed him from opposite sides. "GOTCHA!" Henry yelled as they pulled him down.

Killian couldn't help but laugh as they ended up in a tangled mess on the floor, Jefferson chuckling above them. Looking up at his friend, Killian raised an eyebrow, "I assume you have nothing to do with this."

"Not a thing" Jefferson related quickly, crossing his arms for good measure.

A few minutes, more rolling around and a tickle fight later, Grace and Jefferson had bid them goodnight, leaving Henry and Killian alone in the apartment. He was drying dishes when his son came to grill him about his latest date. All part of Operation Cobra.

"So, how was your date?" Henry asked, sitting on one of the stools at the counter.

Killian turned to look at him, drying a glass as he did so, "Why is it that every time I come home from a date you ask me every question under the sun?" he joked.

"Because" Henry smiled brightly, "I know you like this girl. Plus, it might give me helpful tips for when I'm older."

"Oh really?" he father returned. "Planning on being a lady's man, are we?"

"Something like that. Now come on."

With a roll of his eyes, Killian turned back to the sink to grab another dish, "We watched a movie and ate Chinese food, alright?"

That wasn't enough to satisfy his son, "what, that's it? No adorable stories this time about how she ordered all the fish on the menu or something?"

He couldn't help but laugh at that, "No, not that I know of. But we did have an interesting conversation."

"She didn't dump you did she?"

"Henry!" Killian scolded, but again, he ended with a chuckle.

His son raised his hands in defense, "Sorry, just asking. I mean come on. Girl wants to talk, you talk, you break up. Isn't that a thing?"

"When did you become so mature?"

"Oh, I don't know. Probably right around the time I reached Level 16 on Diablo and became a knight."

Killian just shook his head before continuing, "For your information, no, we did not break up. We were just talking about our families since I went with her to her godson's first birthday party last week and one thing led to another and…"

"You want to know if I want to meet her, right?" Henry interrupted.

"Yeah, something like that" he said, imitating his son. They were silent for a moment before he continued, "So, do you think you want to?"

"You really like her, don't you?"

Killian turned around at that, "What do you mean?"

"If I meet Emma, she'll be the first of your girlfriends I meet. At least officially" Henry returned, standing from his stool and heading towards the door. "But for the record Dad, I'd love to meet her. She sounds pretty awesome."

Henry left the room with a smile and a goodnight, leaving Killian alone in the kitchen. "Awesome doesn't even begin to describe her" he muttered to himself with a laugh as he picked up another glass.

**~K&E~**

Meeting Henry turned out to be more difficult to schedule than they thought. Unfortunately, Henry was in school most of the day, and since the weather would soon take a turn for the worst, growing colder for the winter, business picked up for Killian as customers went for one last sail of the season. Meanwhile, Emma was keeping busy with new cases, and then, when she was supposed to meet Henry the first time, she ended up getting sick, forcing them to postpone the meeting until the following week. Then Henry had gotten sick, pushing it back another week, until finally they were able to settle on a date.

She had been running a bit late, as usual, and stumbled onto the dock in a hurry. At the end she could see Killian waiting for her, a smirk on his face. "I was beginning to think you were having second thoughts" he told her as she neared him before pulling her in for a kiss.

"No, traffic was awful" she laughed, pecking him on the lips once more. "Where's Henry?"

"Already onboard. You ready to meet him?" Killian asked as he ran his hands down her arms to grasp her own.

Emma nodded, "I've never been more ready for something in my life."

Tightening his grasp on one of her hands, he pulled her along to the boat they were using for the evening. "I have to tell you, he's pretty excited to meet you too."

"Is he now?" Emma asked. "I must be pretty special then."

"Well, as he pointed out to me when I first brought up the topic to him, you're the first girlfriend I've ever let officially meet him."

Emma stopped for a moment, knowing that Henry was just around the corner, "I'm the first one?"

Killian turned back to her, "Yeah" he said with a soft kiss to her forehead, "Yeah you are."

With a small smile, Emma squeezed his hand once, letting him know she was ready to meet his son. A moment later, they rounded the corner, Henry glancing up at them from where he was sitting. A smile lit his face and Killian couldn't help but find one of his own. "Emma, I'd like you to meet" Killian started as his son started towards them, and then stopped. Henry's face fell, and it was then that Killian realized Emma was no longer beside him. "Emma?"

He ran back to the dock only to see her running away as fast as she could. "Emma!" he called again after her. But she just kept going, because the second Emma Swan laid her eyes on Henry Jones, only one name ran through her mind.

_Neal Cassidy._


	5. Chapter 5: Good Moments

**Alright, so maybe I'm kind of evil leaving you guys on a cliffhanger with the last chapter, and then forcing you to hang for two weeks while I went on a trip...**

**It's ok though, because I'm back now, and as far as I know, we're looking at a chapter a week for the rest of the summer, unless I do end up having my wisdom teeth out...then there might be one other week of hiatus in there, but otherwise we're golden. **

* * *

**There's a couple of questions asked in the last set of reviews that I figured I'd share with all of you as well! **

_**Are you going to reveal Emma's biological parents? **_

**This is honestly a tricky question. Since we already have David and Mary Margaret playing a key role in the story, I'm not too sure how I'd fit her parents in otherwise. As of right now the answer to that question is probably no, but it's one of those things that's sort of hanging around in the back of my mind for later on in the story. Like I've said before, there's a lot of story left, and plenty of other characters still waiting to be introduced! **

_**Will you include Graham in it? Like in a flashback or something? **_

**Another great question, and another I don't really have an answer for! I would LOVE to include Graham in the storyline, but because of his tragic end on the show, I'd need to incorporate his character in a way I feel fitting, which is something I haven't come up with yet. But of all the characters I'm working to introduce, he's probably one of the ones I'm trying the hardest to find a spot for. For right now, I have no clue when, where or how he'll fit in, but the short answer is I want Graham to come into the story if at all possible. **

_**Who's Alex? **_

**This is sort of a little headcannon of mine. Let's flash to an alternate universe where the curse was never cast (which I'd never want because then my lovelies would never end up together. The whole 300 years old pirate thing and all). We know from Season 1 that Cinderella would have been pregnant around the same time as Snow, only Snow gave birth to Emma before Cinderella could give birth to her own child, causing her to remain pregnant for those 28 long years. That had to be terrible. Either way, without that curse, Cinderella's daughter, Alexandra, would have been born shortly after Emma, and since they'd both be princesses and all, I have this thought that they would have been close friends. They would have been virtually the same age, only in the real universe, Emma's like 28 years older because of the whole time stopped thing. And that's the background on Alex. She appears in my stories from time to time, just because I love the Cinderella/Thomas story from Season 1 and certainly wish they'd bring them back! **

* * *

**And so now I present you with Chapter 4! I do hope you enjoy it, as there's a little of everything here! Baby James, DaddyCharming (sort of), some angst and a little surprise at the end. Oh, and of course Henry! Who doesn't love that kid!? **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Family**

* * *

Chapter 5: Good Moments

**_11 Years Ago_**

_They say you always remember your first, whether that be lover, royal ball, day of school, car or kiss. No matter what the first is, it will certainly be memorable, and for Emma Swan, she certainly could retain the memories of her first everything, whether she wanted to or not. _

_She remembered her first real home. A pair of kind, loving, beautiful parents that took her in until she was three and they welcomed a baby of their own. They sent her back to her first adoption agency and her first night in one of what seemed like hundreds of different beds. She cried herself to sleep that night, just a little lost girl, alone in the world. _

_Emma could remember the first time she lost a tooth. On television, which they were allowed to watch from time to time, there would be stories of children losing their teeth and a wonderful fairy coming to exchange it for money in the middle of the night. The parents on the shows were so proud of their kids, but when Emma proudly showed her foster mother the tooth, she was just given a Kleenex and was told it was to help stop the blood pooling in the spot the tooth had previously been. _

_No tooth fairy came during the night. _

_Her first day of high school was, no surprise to her, absolutely awful. While she remembered it, it was certainly one of the times she wished she had the ability to forget. Her lunch had been stolen by an older student. Her books fell all over the floor when an upperclassman ran into her on accident, not courteous enough to stop and help her pick them up. And to top the entire thing off, she had been late for more than one class, had forgotten her locked combination time after time and been hit in the head with a basketball during the gym hour. _

_But when it came to firsts, there were a few that Emma Swan could actually recall with fondness. It wasn't long after she had escaped the foster system, running away from what had certainly been the worst home yet. At 17, she was old enough to escape most of the public eye without question, but in many ways, she was still a kid. Having learned how to open and steal a locked car from a friend in the system, she found herself in a back alley of the streets of Portland. Her eyes caught on a bright yellow bug, unattended and just sitting there. _

_Opening it had been the easy part, and soon she had it started and out on the road. "You could have just asked me for the keys." _

_Emma felt like she jumped a mile into the air as the man in the backseat sat up, holding the keys out to dangle in front of her. "Just drive, it's fine" he continued, trying to calm her down. _

_"I just stole your car" she returned, gripping the steering wheel tighter, "your life could be in danger." _

_"Neal Cassidy" he introduced himself with a wave of his hand, as if everything was perfectly fine. She could see in the rearview mirror that he had dark hair, the curls covered by a hood. His eyes were dark as well, and the scruff that lined his face suited him well enough. _

_"Yeah, I'm not telling you my name."_

_"I don't need it to have you arrested when the robbery is in progress" he prompted with a smile and a laugh. _

_Frustrated, she sighed, giving into his games, "Emma, Swan." _

_And so, Emma met Neal Cassidy for the first time. It also happened that that was the first time she narrowly escaped the police, having apparently stolen a stolen car. The officer was none the wiser however, thanks to a story from Neal about how he was "teaching his girlfriend how to drive." Girlfriend? In what world? _

_Nonetheless, Emma Swan could remember her first date with Neal. He took her to a closed amusement park, breaking open one of the gates by picking the lock. "It's all about the tumblers" he had said, and over time she would learn how to pick locks as well, rivaling his quick time. He had bought them coffee, which they drank while sitting on the swings as the rain poured down around them. They talked about their lives until late into the night, him giving her the first of many pieces of advice. He told her that a place wasn't a home until you leave it and you just miss it. She knew what he meant, and as the light of the sun started to appear on the horizon, they walked out of the gates and reset the lock. _

_Their first successful raid of a store came a few weeks later, after they realized that they actually made a fair team. It was a small convenience store, and they quickly learned that, if they played the part of boyfriend and girlfriend, he could distract the owner of the store while she smuggled out various items they needed. Slowly over time he taught her all his tricks, from stake outs to the good old "stumble into the door" plot. _

_The first holiday they spent together wasn't long after she stole the stolen car. It was the Fourth of July, and he insisted that they at least try to do something special to celebrate the nation's birthday. Emma had just laughed, letting him drive her to whatever ridiculous spot he planned on showing her. They ended up on the top of a hill, far away from anyone else, watching the fireworks from all over the city, flashing before them in brilliant colors and patterns. _

_Their first kiss was an accident. They had been more or less dating for a number of weeks, whether they realized it or not, but that sort of happened when living together in a car. She had been going to kiss him on the cheek, a thank you for something or another, she couldn't quite remember, when she tripped on her shoelace, causing her to ungraciously fall towards him, her lips hitting his. It sounded awful to tell the story, of an awkward, accidental kiss, but it broke some sort of unresolved tension between them as she eventually melted into the kiss and his arms came to wrap around her. _

_From there on out, things were different. They worked together day and night. They slept more often in the backseat of the car than anywhere else, his arms wrapped tightly around her as she laid half on top of him, trying to find a comfortable position to rest in. From time to time, they would sneak into a motel room, left open for the cleaners after the family that previously took up residence there left. Emma learned quickly that a hot shower and a few minutes on a real, soft bed did wonders for the mind and body._

_And it all worked out, somehow. Emma was happy and she actually was beginning to think that maybe fairy tales weren't that impossible after all, because despite the awful situations they often found themselves in, it was almost like she was living one. But when one day he found her in the park, as per their usual meeting spot and time, her sporting a bag of doughnuts, and she knew instantly that something was wrong. _

_They had planned on going to Tallahassee. A new start, a real life. A house, a family. A home. That's what it was supposed to be. But when he walked up to her in the park, all of that changed. He was in danger, and the only solution was to run to Canada. It meant leaving Emma, and their lives, behind. Somehow, she convinced him otherwise, saying that she would steal the watches he had stolen. They could fence them, create new identities and still go to Tallahassee. They could still live out their lives as they had planned. They didn't have to give up, because she didn't want to, and she had to tell him why. _

_"I love you" she stated simply, her arms wrapped around his neck as she leaned his forehead against his, smiles on both of their faces. She had never said it to anyone before, but it felt good. It felt right to tell him. _

_She stole the watches, and before he left to fence them, they found themselves in the back of the car. It wasn't comfortable or ideal, but she loved him and he loved her, and while they had barely begun to say it with words, they were able to say it physically. Their bodies moved in time with one another, murmurs of "I love you" whispered as they fell into bliss. _

_But of all her firsts, if there was one Emma wished she could forget, it was the first time she was completely, truly, utterly heartbroken. For a reason she couldn't quite figure out, he left her in the car, happy and excited to start their new life, as he went to get rid of the watches. He left one with her, a token of their bright future, but he never came back. When she tried to call him, hours later, from their meeting spot, he didn't answer. He never showed up. But someone did. The police. _

_And this time she didn't escape with a warning. _

_Later, Emma Swan sat in a jail cell, a pregnancy test in her lap with a little tiny plus sign. They had only slept together once, a first and last time, but that had been enough. And in the matter of four months, she had met Neal Cassidy, led a life in the fast lane, fallen in love, become a mother and been heartbroken. And she wasn't even 18 yet. _

_And while Neal Cassidy may have been Emma Swan's first, real heartbreak, it certainly wasn't the last. _

**Present Day **

As he watched Emma continue to run, Killian Jones was worried for more reasons that one. First off, his girlfriend, whom was just about to meet his son, had fled with no reasonable explanation. Second, said son was waiting not that far behind him, probably freaking out because Emma had run the second she saw him. He had been so excited, and now Emma was gone, leaving both of them there.

How was he going to go back to Henry and tell him? But more importantly, what had even just happened? One moment they were happy, Emma secure in his arms and excited to meet his son. They had been holding hands, and he had brought her on-board the small ship, reassuring her one last time before moving around the corner. He remembered the smile on Henry's face, and how Emma had been right there beside him.

Until she wasn't.

Above all else, Killian couldn't quite decide if she had run because of Henry, herself or if it was him. He figured it was a mix of all three, but one thing was certain, he wasn't ready to let her go.

He was still standing on the dock, Emma long gone, when Henry found him. "Dad?" he asked cautiously, stepping off the boat and moving closer to him. "Are you alright? Where's Emma?"

"She left" he told him simply. "I don't know Henry. One minute she was here and fine and now she's gone."

"I'm sure there's an explanation. I mean, on your first date didn't you have to leave because I broke my arm?"

Killian laughed, looking to his son and ruffling his hair, "Yeah. Yeah I did."

"Exactly. And you didn't tell her where you were going then either, did you?" Killian shook his head in response. "Well then" Henry continued, "maybe this is just a time like that."

"I know I've asked you before, but when did you grow up so much?" Killian asked again, wrapping an arm around his son and walking back to the boat.

"And I know I keep telling you. Level 16. I became a knight. Why you don't acknowledge it I don't understand."

**~K&E~**

She had thought through a million different scenarios when it came to meeting Killian's son, but not one of them had ever included the idea that he could be her son. Of course, there wasn't really a logical explanation for the situation. After all, Emma had no physical proof that Henry Jones was the little boy she gave up for adoption 10 years ago.

And yet, it all made sense. He was indeed 10 years old, and Killian had mentioned his birthday, which Emma knew was the same day her own son had been born. He would have had to travel across half the country to get to his new parents, as she had been in Phoenix when she gave birth and somehow he ended up in New York, but there were ways for that to happen. After all, she had been found in Maine and ended up in Portland.

But if there was one thing that stood out to her as an indicator that Henry was her son, it was his eyes. He had his father's eyes. Neal's eyes. Actually, the boy was almost the picture image of his father, or at least what Emma imagined Neal looked like at that age. She could deny it all she wanted, but for some reason, she just knew.

She felt bad about running, that was for sure, especially since she left town altogether to retreat to Mary Margaret and David's, asking if she could stay for a few days. Just as they had done when she showed up after the fiasco with Walsh, they didn't ask any questions, but she knew they were wondering. Currently, she was curled up on the swing in the backyard, a simple little bench that David had converted into a swing hanging from the large tree that stood there.

"Killian called again" David said as he walked up behind her from the house, sitting down next to her on the swing. "He sounded really worried, said you still haven't responded to his texts or called him back."

"He send you to come talk to me?" Emma asked with a snort, keeping her head turned away from him as she played with her phone.

"No" he stated simply, "I just wanted to make sure you're ok." He paused for a moment, "Are you?"

"Yeah, I'm fine" she responded quickly.

"Look," he said, sitting down next to her. "I don't know what happened or what's really going on, but you can't just sit here worrying about whatever it is."

"Why not? It seems to me like bad things keep happening to me, and sitting here is a lot easier than facing them."

"Well good things keep happening too. If you think like that, you're going to miss out. There's more to life than just looking for the next fight. You know? You've gotta look for the moments."

Finally Emma turned to him with a small smile, "moments?"

"Yes. Life is made up of moments. Good ones, bad ones, but they're all worth living."

"Well then I seem to be a magnet for the bad ones" she commented, the smile leaving her face.

"All the more reason to look for the good moments in between the bad ones."

She sighed, "and you think that my relationship with Killian is a good one."

David laughed at that, "I can't say I'm not going to run him through with my sword if he hurts you, but from what I've seen, Killian really cares about you."

Emma pulled her sweater tighter around her and looked away, "I'm just not sure I'm ready."

"What's the harm in finding out?" he asked her. "Come on, let's go inside." Emma, thankfully, smiled and stood, taking his arm as they walked back towards the house.

**~K&E~**

"Getting yourself drunk isn't going to fix all your problems you know" Jefferson said as he plopped down on the barstool next to his friend.

"Maybe it won't fix them, but at least maybe I can stop thinking about them for more than two minutes" Killian returned before downing another shot of rum. "Plus Henry is staying with Regina tonight. He and Roland were through the roof with their plans, so if I'm going to get drunk it's going to be tonight."

Jefferson sighed, flagging down the bartender for a drink of his own. Once he ordered, he turned back to Killian. "She still hasn't called back?"

"Nope. Not a word. I know she's at Mary Margaret and David's, but she hasn't talked to them either really. Total silence."

"I don't know what to tell you mate" he said, patting Killian on the arm. "But I can tell you really like this girl and since you were having her meet Henry that obviously says something."

Killian laughed, "Funny, that's exactly what Henry said. Something about how this is the first girlfriend of mine he's ever met."

"Well there you go. Reason number one why you shouldn't give up on her."

"Who said I was giving up on her?" he asked quickly, looking at his friend.

"I don't know" he continued after the bartender brought him his beer. "I'm not necessarily saying you are, but honestly Killian, don't let this one go. Not now at least. I haven't met her, but from what you say it sounds like she needs you just as much as you need her."

"Yeah" he chuckled, "because she needs me. Jefferson, do you realize that everyone I love, everyone I let into my life, ends up leaving me? They're taken from me in some obnoxious way or they just walk out of my life for some ridiculous reason" Killian said, pounding his fist on the countertop.

"Nonsense" Jefferson argued. "You love Henry more than anything in the world. No," he stopped for a second, "scratch that – the universe. And he loves you. Plus, I'm here, so that's got to mean something."

"I never said I love you" he mumbled, but Jefferson could tell there was still a bit of a joking lilt to his voice.

"I know you do anyways, but that's beside the point. You have to realize" he continued, putting his hand on his friend's shoulder, "that not everyone is going to leave you. Not everyone will be taken from you or simply walk away because they're a hooker or don't like fish. And while I still haven't met this crazy woman, it sure seems to me that Emma isn't going to be one of those people. She's in this for the long haul. Maybe she just freaked or something. You've done it too you know."

"Oh yeah, when?" Killian asked.

"Like when you adopted Henry. Killian, don't you remember that whole fiasco?" Killian only sighed, letting his friend know he understood, "Now I may not be an expert on relationships or anything, but I do know love when I see it."

He looked at him sarcastically, "Love? You've got to be kidding me Jeff." Another look from his friend shut him up. "Gods. I love her, don't I?"

"It took you this long to figure that out?"

He raised his hands, "In my defense, we haven't exactly been dating for a super long time, and…"

"You never thought you'd be able to move on from Milah, right? Mate, sometimes you forget that I know exactly how you're feeling. Alice not being here, it kills me, but if there's one thing I want in this world more than anything at the moment, it's for you to find your happy ending. You deserve it."

"And you don't?"

"I never said that" he laughed, gaining another chuckle from Killian as well, "but you've been through a lot. Henry's been through a lot, and my guess is that Emma has too."

**~K&E~**

As a thank you for letting her stay with them once again, Emma told Mary Margaret and David to go out for a night by themselves. She could stay back and take care of James. They had left hours ago, promising to be home later and after a last couple of goodbyes to their son, they finally walked out the door. She was easily thankful for the time spent with James. He seemed to help make everything in life so much easier. They had been playing with his toys in the living room until he grew tired, his yawns a telltale sign that it was time for bed. Emma scooped him up and he laughed as Emma tickled him, "Time for bed my Little Prince."

"EmEm!" he squealed as she carried him towards his room.

Emma laughed at his name for her. He had begun to talk a few months before and, much to the surprise of everyone, his first words hadn't been Mama or Dada, but EmEm. She had been visiting for the afternoon and he had made it blatantly obvious who he wanted to feed him his dinner. Mary Margaret had rushed to get the video camera while David stood there in shock, all while Emma laughed and bounced her godson around.

"Yes, it is time for you to go to sleep, or else your parents will not be too happy with me" she said, tapping the little boy on the nose as she carried him into the nursery.

A few minutes later she had him settled in, leaning over his crib to look at him, sighing as she did so. "I don't know James. Any wise knowledge for your EmEm?" His only response was another yawn as his eyes fluttered shut. "Figures as much. But hey, you'll still listen to me" she said, pulling the rocking chair over near him so she could watch him sleep.

"I guess, on one hand, it's difficult watching you grow up" she started, knowing that as her godson fell asleep he was quietly listening, "and I wonder what it would have been like to watch my own son. Would he have been like you?" Emma reached out to trail the backs of her fingers down his little check. "And while I'm pretty sure I'm completely crazy in thinking so, now I might have a chance to know what my son is like, but I can't even muster up the courage to say hello. That's pretty awful, huh?" At that, James opened his eyes for a moment, giving her a look that caused her to laugh.

"I know, ridiculous, right?" she asked him again as he closed his eyes. Emma leaned back in the rocking chair again, pulling her legs up underneath her as she did so. "Don't tell your parents this" she started with a laugh, "but I can't help but be jealous of them. They have you, a family, love, a home. I thought I had that once, but I never really did. Yeah, you guys are like my family. You are my family. But this isn't my home. This isn't my life. It's your life. Your parents' life."

They sat there silently for a moment, "And you know what James, I guess I want that. I want what you have. I just have never been able to find it." Suddenly, the little boy made a noise, and she found him looking at her with wide, bright eyes, just as blue as his father's.

And it finally hit her. Watching Mary Margaret and David raise their son, it had made her realize she wanted the home that she never had. She wanted all of that, someone to love who loved her just as much in return. She wanted a house that they would turn into a home, where no matter how little time she spent away from it, she would miss it. She wanted a family she could lean on, one that she could share firsts and make new happy memories with. Once upon a time, a man named Neal had taught her what a true home was, and then he destroyed it. Walsh had done the same. Together they had caused Emma to believe that she didn't deserve any of what the Nolans had. That it wasn't in the cards for her. And she continued to believe that until another man walked into her life and caused everything to turn upside down.

She looked at James again, now sound asleep in his crib, and suddenly everything was completely clear. "I love him" she whispered, not necessarily to the baby or anyone else, but to herself. "James, what have I done?" Emma asked him. There was, of course, no response, and suddenly she heard the front door click open, signaling the return of Mary Margaret and David. With one last quick kiss to James' forehead, she left the room, shutting off the main light as she did so and closing the door.

Running to her room, Emma grabbed her coat and bag, stuffing the last of her stuff into it as David appeared in the doorway. "Going somewhere?" he asked, leaning against the frame.

Emma didn't turn to look at him, instead continuing to pack up her stuff, "Yeah. Yeah I am."

"Are you going to tell me why?" David asked again with a chuckle. "Do you need a ride or anything?"

"No and no" she said, stopping to look at him after zipping her bag shut. "But thank you, for everything. For letting me stay here, for letting me spend time with James, for helping me realize what I need to do." With that, she grabbed the bag and hurried past him out the door, saying a quick goodbye to Mary Margaret as she did so.

"Did she tell you where she's going in such a hurry?" Mary Margaret asked her husband as she moved to stand next to him after Emma had gone.

"She didn't" he smiled, "but I have a pretty good idea where she's off to."

**~K&E~**

Killian glanced at the clock on his bedside table, confused at why someone was pounding on his door at two in the morning. "Just a minute" he grumbled, getting out of his bed as another knock sounded. He was silently thankful that Henry had asked to stay another night at Regina's, or else he knew his son would be terribly grumpy the following morning. Granted, at this rate, he was going to be terrible grumpy the following morning.

Another knock sounded just before he reached the door, and he quickly opened it, revealing a very distraught Emma Swan on the other side. "Emma" he breathed out after a moment. She was standing there, a bag clutched in one hand, hair in a disarray and jacket pulled on in haste. Not that he carried, simply stepping forward and instantly pulling her into his arms. "Thank god you're safe" he whispered into her hair.

At first, Emma resisted the embrace, but then slowly melted into it, burying her face into his neck and letting the bag she was carrying drop to the ground. He didn't pull away until he heard her whispering something. It took a moment for him to realize she was repeating "I'm sorry" over and over.

"Emma, stop" he said, pulling her away from him and placing his hands on her shoulders, forcing her to look at him. "Are you ok? Are you hurt? What are you doing here?" She opened her mouth as if to speak before closing it again. He sighed, picking up the bag she had dropped and grabbing her hand to pull her into the apartment. "Come on, let's get you inside."

He set her down on the couch before going into the kitchen to make some hot chocolate, just the way he knew she liked it, with whipped cream and cinnamon on top. When he returned to the living room with two mugs a few minutes later, she was curled up in the couch, her eyes meeting his as soon as he entered the room. "Killian, I'm so…" she started, but he shook his head.

"There's nothing you have to be sorry about Emma. I'm just glad you're alright" he answered her. "Granted, maybe returning my calls would have been nice but…" he joked as he set the mugs down on the table in front of them, but stopped when he saw the serious look on her face. "Ok, wrong answer."

Emma sighed, picking up the mug he placed there for her and wrapping her hands around the warm surface, "Look, I shouldn't have left like that. I should have said something at least." He sat down across from her on a chair, leaving a respectable distance between them. "And I should have called before coming here now" she continued, "but I just…I couldn't…"

"Hey, it's alright" he told her. "You're welcome here any time. That's why I gave you my address in the first place, remember?" She smiled a bit at that.

"I know, I know." Emma sighed, pausing for a moment as she considered how to continue. Killian simply let her take her time as he took a drink of his own beverage. Finally, she continued, "I've been good at one thing my entire life. Running. And you know what?" she asked, looking back up at him, "It's worked. Running has protected me from a lot of crap over the years. And so whenever I come to a situation that scares the shit out of me, I run away from it. It's easier than facing the chance that a good moment could turn into a bad one."

She expected Killian to interrupt and say something, but he didn't, silently motioning for her to continue, "So when I came to meet Henry, I just…I got scared." Emma paused again, tightening her grip on the mug, "Killian, look, there's something you don't know about me. Actually, there's a lot you don't know about me and…"

He stopped her by setting down his mug on the table and getting up to cross over to her, kneeling in front of her and placing his hands on her knees. "Emma, listen to me. I don't care. Whatever it is that you're about to tell me that's going to sound bad and maybe make it easier for you to run because maybe I won't accept you? I don't care about any of it. To be honest, there's a lot about me you don't know either. There's stuff about me that no one knows about. But it's all stuff I want you to hear, want you to know because I realized something these past few days."

"And what's that?" she asked.

He ran his thumb over her knee cap, soothing her, "I realized that I love you. And no matter what happened in our pasts, I want to see what the future is going to be like. Emma, you may not know the whole story, but someday I want to tell it to you. Every last bit. Because you know something? I never thought I'd be capable of moving on from my first love. From my Milah. To believe that I could find someone else. That is, until I met you."

"Killian, I…" she started, setting her own mug down carefully before turning back to him. She tried to come up with some logical thought, some brilliant plan of what to say, but nothing came. Because if there was one thing she knew, it was that believing in a future with this man and his son sounded ridiculous sometimes, and it scared her to death. But for some reason, she could see it all. A home, a life, a happy ending. She could see all their firsts, not only those for her and Killian, but for them as a family. She could picture the first time she would actually, really, meet Henry. The first time they see a movie together. The first time she spends the whole night at his apartment and they all wake up to make breakfast together in the kitchen. But the best part about it all? None of it was based on the fact that maybe on some off chance, this man's son was also hers. None of it mattered anymore, nothing except for the simple words she returned to him.

"I love you too."


	6. Chapter 6: Say Hello

**Alright, here it is, the chapter you've all been waiting for. I've actually been done with this one for over a week and am currently in the middle of writing Chapter 8, so this feels like ages ago, but for you, it's just beginning! **

**My internet is literally the slowest it's ever been right now, so I'm uploading from our local library. I promise to get to reviews ASAP! Keep leaving them for sure because I keep getting them and I love it! I hope you enjoy this next chapter as much as I loved writing it! **

* * *

**Family **

* * *

Chapter 6: Say Hello

**_11 Years Ago_**

_They were sitting in the park, a picnic blanket stretched out beneath them, the sun gently filtering down through the trees as she laid her head down against his chest. He had a hard time believing it sometimes, that for some ridiculous reason, she had chosen him, more a lost boy than the fearless man he knew she deserved. But through the past three years, from Liam's death to the here and now, she had picked him regardless of how broken he was, and similarly, he had picked her. _

_Milah let out a quiet sigh as he ran his fingers through her hair. They were watching a young family that played not that far away. A mother holding a young baby girl and a father chasing his son around as they invented some sort of game of tag. The woman against him would laugh every so often as the young boy on the other side of the grass would finally be caught, and Killian couldn't help but relax further into the calm the day had brought. _

_Suddenly, Milah turned to look at him, her dark eyes meeting his bright blue. "I want one" she said, as if it were the simplest thing in the entire world. Her hand was on his chest now, and for a moment he wanted to laugh, but her serious expression caught him off guard. _

_"You want what?" he asked gently, figuring that maybe he was just overreacting. After all, they had only been married for a few months. Sure they had been together for almost three years, but talking about kids already? He was only 23 for God's sake, and here she was talking about children. _

_Milah's small smile grew into a full on grin, "I want a little me or a little you. I want a baby." _

_Of course she wouldn't be kidding. "You mean now? Milah I don't know…" _

_She cut him off with a kiss, weaving her hands into his hair and laying half on top of him as she did so, completely ignoring the fact that they were very much in a public place. "Yes now. Killian, you'll be a wonderful father and I know we haven't been married for very long but I want one." _

_Quietly, he sighed, nudging her nose with his, "Who am I to refuse my beautiful wife?" He was terrified at the thought of becoming a father, of being responsible for another human being, but for some reason, he knew she really wanted this. He knew about her past, about her own mother and father and how she wanted to make up for that. And with his own childhood a distant memory, Killian knew he wanted to make up for it too. He wanted to be a father, and he wanted Milah to be a mother. _

_Over the next few months, time seemed to speed up and slow down all at once. He was busy with the cruising business, but somehow, Milah would find him at the docks, stealing spare moments here at there for them to be together. And with each passing pregnancy test, Killian found himself more and more disappointed that maybe he wasn't going to be a father after all, despite the fact that he now wanted it more than anything. He would often come home to find her sitting in the bathroom on the edge of the bathtub, eyes rimmed with red and another test that read negative. _

_But when one day she showed up at the docks with the brightest smile he had ever seen on his face, he knew the day was different for a very good reason. "I'm pregnant" she had whispered almost right away, peppering light kisses on his face as she thanked him again and again. He picked her up, twirling her around before setting her on the ground before him, cutting off her thank you with a solid kiss. And he had never been happier. _

_After that bright day, the months were filled with ups and downs of every kind. Milah woke sick more often than not, but Killian sat with her through all of it, being the gentleman he was. They planned the nursery, carefully painting the walls a brilliant blue color to match the sea and filling the room with furniture. Jefferson had helped them put together a crib, a gift to the couple from himself and wife Alice. Little stuffed animals soon littered the room, and a delicate mobile was hung over the crib, the tiny colorful fish glittering in the sunlight from the window. _

_They rejoiced in the fact that soon they would be parents, picking out names and staying up late into the night, talking about the new and exciting experiences they would have with their child. It was calming to the both of them as they read books on how to care for a baby, knowing oh so much about everything from feeding to cradle cap, which, apparently, was a skin condition on the scalp of the baby. _

_And, secretly, Killian began working on a side project. Once Upon a Time, he had bought a ship with his brother, Liam, with plans to restore it to its former glory. When Liam had died, the ship sat untouched for years, dry docked in an old shed at the harbor. Killian hadn't looked at the ship since he closed and locked the door years ago, but the visions of him playing on the deck with his own son or daughter felt like a fitting tribute to his brother. So slowly he continued the restoration. Soon the deck was refinished, and renovations to the Captain's Quarters were well under way. Killian wanted to make it not just a ship, but a safe home for children to play. His children. _

_One night, he returned late from the docks, having worked on the ship all evening before returning to the apartment he shared with Milah. When he walked in, she was laying quietly on the bed, sound asleep. The gentle rise and fall of her chest told him she was ok, and he couldn't help but smile at her rounded abdomen, his baby resting just beneath. Killian quietly padded across the room to the master bath, intending on taking a shower before joining his wife. He switched on the water in the bathroom, pulling off his shirt as the water heated, when he heard a scream. _

_He was by Milah's side in an instant as she cried out in pain. When the sheets were stained with red a few moments later, Killian went into autodrive. He pulled his shirt back on before carefully picking up his wife and carrying her to the car downstairs, rushing them to the hospital. _

_The shower ran until the landlord came and turned it off days later. _

_The events that transpired at the hospital flashed by Killian's eyes in a blur. They had taken Milah from him immediately, despite her cries for him not to leave her side. Jefferson and Alice showed up a few minutes later, having been called when Killian and Milah were en route to the hospital. They tried to calm him, and he knew they were quietly muttering words of encouragement, telling him that everything was going to be fine, but he couldn't hear them. And even if he could, he knew they were lying. _

_He heard nothing when the doctor came out hours later, gently shaking his head. Something had gone terribly, terribly wrong. The baby, which wasn't due for months, had been lost. A little baby girl they would never get to see. Milah had been saved, but was weak. They had been told they would never conceive again, the information hitting Killian like a brick wall. _

_When he had been allowed to take Milah home a week later, he had tried his hardest to do what was best for her. His tears had long been dried up, although frustration and anger still raged on beneath the surface. But Killian had known for a long time that life wasn't fair. Plus, he couldn't wallow in pity when his wife did nothing but lay in bed, her head covered by the thin white sheet. She blamed herself, he knew that, because it was her body that had rejected their daughter. Milah didn't even leave the confines of their bedroom for the funeral, a small ceremony of just three for a little girl named Amara. Just Jefferson, Alice and Killian, rain falling around them, wetting the grass and the new, small grave that held his daughter. _

_It took time for Milah to come back, slowly leaving the bedroom to join him for breakfast in the kitchen, or to settle into the couch to watch a movie. Finally, Killian knew he could leave her to go to work, and on his first day back he replaced the lock on the shed that held The Jolly Roger. Eventually, Milah grew back to her normal self. She would smile when visitors came, and started to joke with Killian again. It comforted the both of them, to know that the other knew the same pain, the loss of their child weighting them both down until finally, one day she asked him to take her to the grave. _

_She had cried, and by the end of the visit, they were both crouched on the ground, Milah wrapped in Killian's arms as they let out the pent up frustration, the pain, the anger and the sorrow that came with the last goodbye, one they had never been awarded in the first place. _

_But then, just as things went back to normal, Jefferson and Alice found out wonderful news of their own. They were expecting a daughter. Killian expected the news to break his wife completely, and he was terrified that she would fall back into the depression that had controlled her for the last months. But she didn't. As she crawled into the bed next to him after a party for the soon-to-be-parents, she sighed, and he pressed a light kiss to the top of her head. _

_"Killian?" she said, sitting up and turning to him oh so much like she had that day in the park. "I was thinking. I know…" she started, pausing for a moment as she collected herself, "I know the doctor said that we would never conceive. But that doesn't mean we can't be parents. I still want one."_

_He was confused, eyebrows furrowing as he met her gaze in the darkness of the bedroom, the light of the moon illuminating her face, "What do you mean?" _

_"I still want a baby."_

_"But…" he started, causing Milah to raise her hand, placing a single finger on his lips to hush him. _

_"What about adoption?" she had asked him, and he tensed a bit before relaxing. "It wouldn't be biologically ours, but it would still be our child. Killian, we can still have the happy ending we wanted you know." _

_He nodded, "I know. Plus" he added, "who am I to refuse my beautiful wife?" _

_They applied for adoption, and eventually were accepted. A date was set for when they would go to meet their child, a healthy baby boy born a few weeks previous. But as excited as Milah was, Killian couldn't help but be terrified. He visited The Jolly Roger late one night, and suddenly all the underlying anger and frustration escaped. _

_Questions raced through his mind. How was he supposed to take care of a baby if he hadn't even been able to care for the first one? When he hadn't even been able to take care of his wife? But most importantly, what if the loss of his daughter was a sign? A warning that he wasn't cut out to be a father, much like his own father wasn't cut out to be one? What if he fell down the same dark path and failed this child the same way he had failed his own? _

_And through his rage, piece by piece, Killian ripped apart The Jolly. He didn't know what overcame him, but he just couldn't deal with everything anymore. He freaked, he wanted to run, he wanted to destroy and let out the frustration that had been eating at him for months. The deck was left with gaping holes, the Captain's Quarters left in a disarray. And he would have kept going, if not for a phone that wouldn't stop ringing. When he picked it up, he heard his best friend's voice on the other end. Jefferson explained to him that Alice was in the hospital, having given birth to a beautiful baby girl of their own. _

_He rushed to the hospital, where Milah was already sitting next to her friend. He hadn't seen her so happy since the day they had found out she was pregnant, and Killian couldn't help but smile too. And as, gently, Jefferson laid his daughter into Killian's arms, he knew from that moment on that whether or not his father loved him, whether or not his own daughter had left the world too soon, and whether or not he was terrified about the idea of being a father himself, he was going to be just fine. Meeting little Grace, having her little hand wrapped around his finger, gave him the assurance that everything was going to be just fine. _

_A week later he sat with Milah in the adoption agency, speaking to an older man about their life in New York and about little Grace's entrance to the earth when a little baby boy was brought into the office. Milah was the first to hold him, and Killian stood next to her, frozen as he watched his wife play with the little boy. With their son. She placed him in his father's arms minutes later, just as Jefferson had done with Grace. Killian looked at Milah, a smile on her face as she lightly kissed him. _

_"Killian, say hello to Henry." _

**Present Day **

He wasn't quite sure what time it was when he did, finally, wake, but Killian was acutely aware of the body that was pressed up against him. Light was filtering in from between the blinds, lighting up the room and giving her hair a golden glow as she sighed, stretching out slowly beside him.

Emma had stayed there the night before. The way Killian figured it, Henry was with Regina, and it made no sense for Emma to travel back across town to her own apartment when it was well after three in the morning. After they had finished their hot cocoa, he scooped her up into his arms and carried her to his bedroom, Emma giggling all the way. He laid her on the bed carefully, kissing her after she yawned. A few minutes later, they were tangled together, arms wrapped in their embrace, sound asleep. The entire thing was completely innocent, more because they were both exhausted than anything else.

She rolled around in his arms so she was facing him, placing a light kiss on his lips, "Good morning."

"Good morning Love" he whispered back, tightening his arms around her waist. Emma's arms reached out above them in a stretch before settling around him, one over his chest as she laid her head against him, listening to the quiet beat of his heart.

Then, out of nowhere, Emma began to giggle. "Something funny, Swan?" he asked with a small chuckle of his own.

"Just the fact that I can't believe I showed up at your apartment at two in the morning." She burrowed her head against her arm, hiding her face from him. She could feel the rumbles of his laughter as she buried further into his chest as a blush worked its way onto her cheeks.

"Emma, you could show up here any time of day and I wouldn't care. Not that I'm giving you free reign to barge in during the middle of the night, but I'm honestly just happy you're alright." He placed a kiss on the top of her head. "Where did you run off to anyway?" he asked, a hint of teasing in his voice.

She propped her head up to look at him, her chin resting on his chest, their faces only inches apart, "Oh shut up Jones. You know exactly where I was."

"Perhaps I do, but maybe I want you to tell me yourself."

Emma sighed, but smiled all the same, "I was at Mary Margaret and David's. If you haven't figured it out yet, that's where I go to think. Plus, James is one hell of a listener."

He raised an eyebrow, "who would have thought a baby would be the one you talk to. Honestly I thought maybe you ran to Ruby's or something. But when she had no clue where you were, I called Alex, who only gave me the same response. Then again, most of my conversation with her was her freaking out about me calling her. I swear, you'd think I was famous or something."

"Are you saying" Emma asked, a glint in her eyes, "that my friend wouldn't pass the movie star test?"

Killian chuckled, running a hand down her arm, "considering the fact that I never presented the test to her and she still fawns over me, yes. That is exactly what I'm saying."

"Well then good thing you only date girls who pass the test."

"You realize you're the only one who's ever…" he started before she cut him off with a kiss.

"I know. Now" Emma continued, relaxing back into his arms. "What did you do while I was gone? And where is Henry anyways? I can't lie, I was a bit nervous coming to your apartment because I thought he might be here, but I just needed to see you and apologize."

Killian couldn't help but smile at the woman in his arms, "Henry's with Regina. Has been the past couple of days. He and Roland had some big thing planned." Emma smiled against his chest and he continued, stroking her hair with his fingers, "The other night, after I found out you were at Mary Margaret and David's, Jefferson found me at the bar. You wouldn't call me back, so I figured rum was my best friend, and I don't keep any here."

Emma glanced up at him, "I never saw you as one for drinking away your sorrows. But I am sorry I didn't call back. I should have at least told you I was alright and alive, you know?"

His smile was gentle, "I know what you mean Swan. Either way, he found me there and I talked things through with him, much like I suppose you talked to James."

"I assume Jefferson had more advice for you than James did for me?" she asked.

"You could say so" he returned. "I guess he just wanted to try and talk some sense into me."

"Kinda like David wanted to talk sense into me?" she asked, and she explained to him about how David had told her to look for the moments in life. "By the end of the conversation I realized that my moments with you have all been good ones, and we keep replacing those bad memories with new ones."

He didn't have words for her, simply pulling her into a kiss. Emma moved to swing her leg over his hips, straddling him. Her arms fell to either side of his head, her hair a curtain around them, golden in the morning sunlight. The kiss was slow, filled with the love they had expressed in words the night before. Eventually though, Emma pulled back, putting a hand on his chest when he tried to follow her lips. "Stop" she said quickly, and he looked at her with a worried expression.

Slowly, a smile grew on her face and she giggled once more. "That's generally not the kind of response a man wants when he's in his bed kissing the woman he loves."

Emma laughed, leaning down to place another light kiss on his lips. "I want to meet him" she said simply, and Killian's mind flashed back to moments from his past.

"Meet who?" he returned quickly, a little breathless.

"Henry."

**~K&E~**

They agreed to meet back in the park later that day. Killian was off to fetch Henry from Regina's, and Emma was heading back to her apartment, as nervous and as excited as ever about meeting Henry. She had spent her entire life running, and here she was, about to walk towards someone instead.

When she reached the meeting spot they decided on, she could see Killian and Henry already there, sitting on a bench, a large book open across their laps. She smiled as she watched them laugh, pages turned every so often. Emma had no clue what the book was, but it was obviously important to the pair.

It was Killian who noticed her first, his smile only growing wider as his eyes met hers. He instantly got up, signaling to Henry to wait before coming to stand at Emma's side. "You ready?" he asked, hands running down her arms to intertwine their fingers.

Emma let out a shaky breath, "Killian, I…"

"Hey" he said, wrapping his arms around her, his hand coming to rest on the back of her head as he pulled it against his chest, "everything's gonna be fine. Henry will love you."

Her arms tightened around his waist, "But what if he doesn't? Did you tell him about why I ran away? Does he know? God, what if he hates me because I left the first time?"

A laugh rumbled in his chest, "Emma, you'll learn very quickly that my son is one of the most forgiving people on the planet."

"Really?" she asked, pulling away, a single tear running down her face.

"Why are you crying, Love?" He gently ran the back of his fingers over her cheek, brushing the tear away.

"I don't even know" she laughed lightly, and he pulled her into another hug.

"I'm going to ask you again Emma. Are you ready?"

This time she nodded, and Killian took her hand in his, intertwining their fingers once again and squeezing once. She returned the gesture, clearing her throat as he pulled her over to his son. Henry had packed away the book in his bad and was standing, waiting for them near the bench. When Emma glanced at Killian, he was looking between them with a bright smile on his face, and the grin spread to Emma herself.

"Emma, say hello to Henry" Killian finally introduced, only for Henry to rush forward and wrap his arms around Emma in a hug.

"Woah, woah, woah" she said, laughing. "Nice to meet you too Henry." When the boy pulled back just a bit to look at her, his arms still wrapped around her, she had to laugh again. "What's this for?"

"No reason" Henry piped up, his eyes never leaving Emma's. She could swear she still saw a bit of Neal in them, but she dismissed the thought. That's not what this was about. The chances were a million in one. Clearing her mind, she smiled, looking up to Killian before pulling him into the hug too, his arms wrapping around them both.

**~K&E~**

An hour later the three of them were situated in Killian and Henry's apartment. They had picked up some Chinese food on the way home, Henry's suggestion, and decided to have a simple night in. With Peter Pan on the television and empty food containers on the coffee table, Emma snuggled just a bit closer to Killian. They were curled up together on the couch, his arm wrapped tightly around her, while Henry made a nest of pillows and blankets on the floor in front of them.

Emma hadn't seen the film in ages, forgetting the lighthearted spirit of the trip to Neverland, but she could recall fond moments of watching it when she was a kid. The idea of flying away to the second star to the right where one would never grow old, away from parents and responsibility and the cold life of an orphan sounded like heaven to a young lost girl. But of course, like every child, she hadn't met Peter Pan at her window, and instead she had grown up instead.

After jokes about Hook's waxed mustache and perm, a makeshift swordfight with Henry, using pillows of course, and yawn after yawn, Emma was sound asleep, her head laying softly on Killian's lap. At some point she had ended up there and he had softly stroked her hair, and when he quietly whispered her name to wake her up, his fingers were still running through her locks.

"How long was I asleep?" Emma asked as she looked up at him, not wanting to move from the comfortable spot. He had apparently draped a blanket over her as well, encasing her in a warm cocoon.

"Not long before the end of the movie. Henry was out before you. But I didn't want to wake you guys up right away."

She smiled, "You really just turned off the TV and sat here watching us sleep?" Killian nodded. "What a creep" she added, finally sitting up. She brought the blanket with her however, wrapping it around her for warmth. "I suppose I should get going."

The smile disappeared from Killian's face, but he nodded again, this time slower. "Yeah, just let me get Henry to bed." She watched as he stood up from the couch, gently moving to pick his son up from his bundle of blankets on the floor. He was gentle, one arm wrapping under his legs and the other resting behind the boy's back, Henry's head coming to rest on his father's chest. Emma smiled a bit when Henry muttered something about defeating Captain Hook and the Crocodile, but he didn't wake up, so she followed Killian as he carried his son to his bedroom.

Standing in the doorway with the blanket still wrapped around her, she waited as Killian laid Henry on his bed, pulling the blankets up to cover him just right before placing a soft kiss to his forehead. She heard the whispered "goodnight" as well, and then Killian turned back to her, closing the door behind him as they stepped out of the room.

"It's getting late" he commented after the door was shut and he wrapped his arms around her, Emma holding the blanket as she wrapped her own arms around his waist, bringing him partly into the warmth of the cocoon. He kissed her lightly, smiling as their foreheads touched when they pulled back. "You could stay you know. Henry wouldn't mind."

She pulled back a bit, "I'm not sure that's such a good plan. I mean, I just met him and we haven't even..." Emma trailed off.

Killian laughed quietly, his hand running up and down her back, "I didn't say anything about sex. I'm just talking about sleeping."

A blush crept across her face as Emma looked down to the ground, pulling away completely and draping the blanket back over the edge of the couch, "I know, I just think that maybe it would be better if I stayed at home." She looked back up at him, offering a soft smile, and while he returned it, she couldn't help but notice the disappointment on his face.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." They kissed again after Emma gathered her things and said goodnight, the door closing softly behind her as she left, but as soon as it did, she rested back against it with a sigh. On the other side, Killian did the same thing, pausing for a moment before running his fingers through his hair and moving to clean up the empty containers from their dinner.

**~K&E~**

The next few weeks passed by quickly for all of them. Emma was caught up in a number of cases, she watched James for a few days while Mary Margaret and David flew across the country for a wedding, there were dates with Killian and tons of time spent with Henry. They went to the movies, spent a day at the museum and went out for pizza.

But if there was one thing Henry began to notice, it was that Emma Swan made his father happier than he had ever seen him, but he couldn't not notice the strange looks of disappointment and longing when, after an evening together, she would leave with a simple goodnight.

Now, Henry Jones may not have been a teenager yet, and he certainly didn't have experience with relationships, but he wasn't completely oblivious. After all, thanks mostly to Regina, he _had_ seen his fair share of romance films. Granted, when things got a little out of control on screen she would promptly cover his eyes, but there was still a level of understanding a ten and a half year old could reach. He knew that Emma never stayed the night because of him. Because they were worried that, if she stayed the night, he might have a problem with it. And it wasn't like his father could just abandon him for entire nights to go stay at her apartment.

So Henry devised a plan. He knew that in just over a week, Grace and Jefferson were coming over to join the three of them for dinner so Emma could finally meet them. He knew that this dinner was occurring on a Friday night, meaning that if he finished his homework that afternoon, he wouldn't have anything else going on the entire weekend. He knew that Jefferson had Saturdays off and that he generally spent the day with Grace anyways, and he knew that generally when he spent the weekend at their apartment, he would from Friday night until Sunday afternoon.

After carefully arranging it with Grace and Jefferson, Henry called in a favor. When Emma had taken care of James a few weeks back, she had brought the little boy over to visit Killian and Henry for an hour or two while she went into the office. She had left a list of numbers, just in case, including the number for Mary Margaret, James' mother.

A quick call to her had the last thing he needed set up, and when Emma, Jefferson and Grace appeared for dinner a week later, everything was in place.

"Is there something you two would like to share with us grown-ups?" Killian asked his son, who had been quietly whispering with Grace throughout the entire meal. Henry looked up in shock, only to find Emma and Jefferson also looking at them with a smile. Next to him, Grace blushed and nudged him in the ribs.

"Yeah, I was uh…wondering if I could spend the weekend at Grace's?" he asked, trying not to smile too much. He couldn't give the plan away, although at this rate, if anyone was going to give it away, it was going to be Jefferson.

His father, meanwhile, seemed to be completely oblivious, glancing at his best friend before looking back to Henry, "Did you finish all your homework?"

"Yep!"

"Did you ask Uncle Jeff if that was alright?"

Henry let out a dramatic sigh and turned to Jefferson, "Uncle Jeff, can I spend the weekend at your place?"

Slowly, he nodded, trying his hardest not to smile like an idiot, "Sounds fine to me. I know we were talking about the three of us going to see that new movie anyways."

"Great!" Henry shouted at the same time as Grace, and the adults simply laughed, turning back to their food.

"Do they suspect anything" Grace whispered to him once their parents were successfully distracted again.

Henry shook his head, "I'm pretty sure they don't. Mary Margaret's going to stop by right after we leave hopefully, and then we'll be home free.

"You're sure this is going to work? That this is what they want?"

Henry grinned, "I'm positive. It's just the next step in Operation Cobra."

**~K&E~**

With Henry packed up and ready to go, goodbyes were said and Jefferson ushered Henry and Grace out the door, leaving Killian and Emma alone. "Jefferson seems nice" she commented as she moved back into the kitchen to clean up the dishes.

Killian followed her with a sigh, picking up a towel so he could dry them as they went, "Yeah, except he was acting awful strange tonight. So was Henry."

Emma giggled, "Good. You noticed it too. I thought it was just my imagination or something."

"Nope" he continued, grabbing a plate from her and drying it before setting it down on the counter, "something was definitely up with them. I just can't put my finger on it." Emma was about to say something in return when the buzzer rang, she looked to Killian and he groaned, "Henry probably forgot something again. I'll be right back."

With a nod, Emma turned back to the dishes, washing the plates carefully. She could hear him answer the call and buzz someone in, but she didn't pay much more attention than that, up until she heard Killian call for her from the next room.

"Emma, Love, I think someone's here to see you."

Confused, she turned off the water and grabbed a towel from nearby, drying her hands with it as she walked into the living room, only to find Mary Margaret standing there with Killian. "What in the world are you doing here? Wait, how do you even know where Killian lives. How do you know I'm here?"

"Well" she started, "a little bird gave me a call, but that's beside the point. Here" she said, holding out a duffle bag towards Emma. "I'm just here to drop this off, and then I've got to be going."

"What's this for?" Emma asked cautiously, attempting to open the bag while holding it before just dropping it on the floor.

A bright grin lit Mary Margaret's face, her eyes sparkling as she headed back to the door. "Oh nothing. I should be leaving. Have a nice weekend!" And with that, she left, closing the door behind her.

"That was strange" Killian said, opening the door and watching Mary Margaret leave as Emma unzipped the bag. "What the bloody hell was that all about?"

From the floor beside him, Emma gave a groan, "I think I understand what's going on here."

"Care to enlighten me, Love?" he asked, shutting the door once more.

"It seems that your son and Grace have been up to a bit of an Operation Cobra scheme, and this time they got Mary Margaret involved."

He raised an eyebrow as she stood up, the bag in her hands, "What are you getting at love?"

"It's a setup."

"A what? What's in the bag?" Killian asked, still obviously confused as Emma started to laugh.

"Your son is staying with Jefferson and Grace all weekend, right?" He nodded in response. "Meaning that we have the apartment to ourselves, right?" Another nod. "And Mary Margaret just stopped by with what basically amounts to a weekend overnight bag."

"You're saying that…" he started, but Emma cut him off with a kiss, his arms instantly surrounding her, one moving to the back of her head and the other around her waist.

"Your son and my best friend have given us an entire weekend by ourselves."

His only words were a muttered "Bloody hell" and a smile before he kissed her again, his hands running lower and encouraging her to jump up and wrap her legs around his waist, which she did almost instantly. It didn't take long for them to hit the bed.


	7. Chapter 7: Fairy Tales

**Time for a new chapter, but first, let's just chat for a second. **

**Today is actually my birthday! It's funny because normally I spend the entire day out doing things with my friends and family, which would mean that I wouldn't have time to post a chapter. But I DO have time today because I'm spending the morning and early afternoon at home since my best friend is at work until 4:30. Then we're doing stuff. But that's ok! I'm fine with staying home. Gives me more time to write and go on twitter and GET TWEETS FROM COLIN O'DONOGHUE. **

**I KID YOU NOT. HE TWEETED ME BACK LIKE A HALF HOUR AGO AND BLOODY HELL I CAN'T HANDLE THIS INFORMATION. Cause I tweeted him saying that a happy birthday tweet from him would make my life, and I didn't really think it would work. I tweet him all the time. Plus he's probably busy filming or something. But then a minute or so later my phone buzzes and IT IS HIM and HE TWEETED ME HAPPY BIRTHDAY. Ok. I'm ok. Still shaking and I still might cry, but seriously, that's my story...and this is like the best birthday ever.**

**And so, now I'm here, sharing this next chapter with you. I hope you enjoy it! =)**

* * *

**Family**

* * *

Chapter 7: Fairy Tales

**_8 Years Ago_**

_The day was quite like any other, despite the fact that his wife was rushing around the apartment like a mad woman, trying to pack up the last of her things she'd need over the weekend while telling him over and over what number to call if Henry got sick or died or what to do if he lost a tooth. Killian had only laughed, reminding her that their son was only two. There would be no need for the tooth fairy to come during the night, at least not for a couple more years. _

_"Everything will be fine" he told her, again, as he sat with Henry at the table, casually eating half his son's cheerios. Each time he stole one, the little boy would give him a look of complete and utter betrayal, but all Killian could think about was how this was most certainly his son, especially since he knew he made the same face every time Milah would steal food off of his plate. _

_She paused for a moment, looking around the kitchen in the middle of her panic, "I know, it's just…I hate leaving you boys. You have all the numbers, right?" _

_He sighed, slowly standing and moving to wrap his arms around his wife in an embrace, "I promise you, we'll be fine. After all, this isn't the first time we've been left here all alone. If anything, I think we're a little excited, right Henry?" he asked, turning to look at his son, who giggled and yelled "yes!" in response. _

_Milah's expression softened, "I can see I'm loved" she joked, to which Killian responded with a kiss. _

_"Of course you are My Dear, now come on. You'd better be going. You still have to pick up Alice and then you have the whole drive before you get there, and you don't want to be late." He grabbed the bag she had packed and slowly ushered her out the door, pausing in the doorway to hand her the duffle and press a final kiss to her lips. _

_"You'll be alright here alone?"_

_"When haven't we been?" he joked. "Now go on. Have a good time." _

_Milah smiled once more, kissing her husband. "I love you" she whispered softly. _

_"I love you too." _

_With Milah finally on her way to the bachelorette party with Alice about an hour away, one that would last the whole weekend, Killian could think of no better way to spend the free time with his son than by reading his favorite book. When he had returned to the kitchen, Henry had already finished his cheerios, obviously intent on making sure it was he who at the rest of them and not his father. Killian scooped him up and carried him back to his room, settling the boy on his lap before pulling out the leather bound book. _

_Milah had found the collection of fairy tales a while back at a rummage sale. It was an odd story to say the least, considering she hadn't even planned on stopping at the small house, but something led her to look through the tables. The first time she passed the books, she apparently had not seen the large leather book sitting on the table. In fact, she swore that it hadn't been there at all. But the second time she passed, just as she was about to leave, the book was suddenly there. She had bought it, of course, figuring that tales such as these would be a great addition to the collection for their son, and now it had ended up being his favorite set of stories, always adorably asking his parents if they would read the "tales" to him. _

_They started out with the story of Cinderella, about the stepmother and the stepsisters taking over the life of the young girl, all up until she was sent to the royal ball by her fairy godmother, or in this case, Rumpelstiltskin. She danced with the prince and left at midnight, leaving her shoe behind. Killian was just about to read the part about the glass slipper not fitting the stepsisters when the phone rang, undoubtedly Milah checking in already. And it hadn't even been an hour. _

_"Everything alright?" came her voice instantly at the other end of the line. _

_Killian looked down at Henry, who looked obviously annoyed at the fact that his father had stopped the story to answer the phone. "We're perfectly fine. Now pay attention to driving and have a nice time. No more calling, and if you do, I'm not going to answer, or at least not until tonight. I'll give a full report then."_

_A sigh was apparent through the phone, "Alice is driving, but I'm still going to call, you know that, right?"_

_"Aye, I do. But that doesn't mean we have to answer. Now, if you'll excuse us, your son is quite unhappy about you interrupting our tale time." _

_"Sorry Henry!" she yelled a little louder in an attempt for her son to hear her through the phone, causing Killian to pull the device away from his ear. "I love you two!" _

_"And we love you" Killian finished, bringing the phone back to his ear. "Have a nice trip." _

_The phone call ended and they returned to the story, where Cinderella lived happily ever after with her prince. Before their lunch time they read several other stories, slowly making their way through the book. Killian couldn't help but laugh at the different stories his son would enjoy. In particular, he wasn't too fond of the story of Rumpelstiltskin, at least until the fearsome Captain Hook came in. Then his son's face would light up as he waved his arms about in an attempt to "swordfight." _

_Following lunch they sat down to watch some movies, and then to color with some of the new crayons Alice had brought over as a birthday present for the young boy. Killian was pretty sure they had just about every color in the book now, including the pink ones with the little sparkles. How coloring with glitter was efficient, he had no idea, but Henry sure seemed to like it. _

_All throughout the day, the phone continued to ring, but Killian was always certain it was Milah, calling again and again to check in on them. But Killian wasn't about to ruin this odd day off alone with his son. The cruising business had been busy lately, meaning that he wasn't home more than he was, leaving very little time for him to spend with Henry, at least in ways like this. After dinner, the phone rang again, but again he ignored it, instead picking his son back up and carrying him to the bedroom once more, pulling out the book of fairy tales for the second time that day. _

_They read the story of Peter Pan that evening, much different from the tale Killian remembered reading in school or watching on the Disney film, where Peter was the hero and Hook was the villain. No, here Pan was the evil child, looking for eternal youth. The story was a bit frightening at times, but Henry seemed to like it well enough, just as he did all the other stories._

_When the phone rang for what must have been the fifteenth time that day, Killian found himself awoken by it. He must have fallen asleep on the chair, Henry sleeping in his arms. Carefully moving to lay his son down for the night, Killian stood up. If Milah had really been calling all day long, he had better answer at least once. After all, he had promised that he'd give her a report at the end of the day. As he stood, the book of fairy tales landed ungraciously on the floor, but in his rush to catch the phone before it stopped ringing, he left it there. _

_With a yawn, he reached for the phone, picking it up and giving the customary "hello." It was sort of sarcastic, as he really had figured it was Milah. After all, she would be just about the only person calling at this late hour anyways. What he didn't expect was to hear his best friend on the line instead. _

_"Jefferson?" _

_"Killian. Thank god. I've been trying to reach you all day. Something…something's happened." _

_It was hard to make out the rest of what he was saying, as Killian rushed back to Henry's room, the phone still to his ear as he grabbed a few things so they could leave right away. He didn't like waking his son back up, especially when he was already resting so peacefully, but it wasn't like he had much of a choice. As Jefferson explained what was going on, Killian picked up a few words: Milah, Alice, accident, hospital. He had no clue what was really going on, but he was certain about one thing, he needed to get to the hospital…now. _

_When they did finally arrive a while later, Henry was still asleep, Killian carrying him in his arms as they walked through the doors of the emergency room. Jefferson was there, waiting for them, alone, having placed Grace with a babysitter earlier in the evening, and he stood when he noticed his friend. He opened his mouth to say something, but slowly closed it again, his eyes closing and head drooping as he shook his head slowly. _

_Time seemed to move in slow motion as Killian dropped to his knees, tears springing to his eyes as he clutched Henry closer. The boy woke up due to the sudden motion, confused about what was going on, but in a way that Killian was sure only Henry could, he wrapped his little arms around his father's neck, burying his head into Killian's chest._

_And just like that, another person Killian Jones loved with all his heart, was gone. _

**Present Day**

The morning felt just about like any other, the sun filtering in through the half open curtains, the sheets of the bed spread around him. The only difference? Emma was lying next to him, or rather half on top of him, her eyes fluttering open as well. "Good morning" she whispered, nestling her nose into the curve of his neck, lightly kissing the skin she found there.

"Morning Love." He tightened his arm around her, his ears picking up on the bustle of the city outside. But in the bedroom itself, all was quiet. They sat there for a while longer, tangled up in each other, until Emma spoke quietly.

"Tell me about her." Her fingers found the tattoo that was imprinted on his right arm, lightly running them over it. She had seen it before, many times, but never asked him about it. It was an intricate tattoo, a heart with a knife running through it. No, not a knife, more like a dagger. Underneath in delicate font was the name Emma already knew well: Milah.

"What do you want to know" Killian asked, pressing a light kiss to her forehead.

She sighed, "I don't know, just anything about her."

Killian slowly closed his eyes, breathing deeply before continuing, "She had dark hair and these striking eyes, but that's not what I loved about her. I loved her spirit. She never wanted to give up, on anything. On anyone. She wanted to travel, to see the world and everything in it. Milah wanted to experience it all, but she never got to."

Emma knew how hard it was for him to talk about her, because it would be the same way if someone asked her to talk about someone from her past. But here he was, baring his heart for her, the same way he had done time and time again. They were both silent for a while before Emma shifted so her back was against his chest, her head resting on his shoulder as he stretched her arm out. Slowly moving the shoelace that sat there, she revealed a tattoo of her own.

"I got it when I had just turned 18, mostly as a reminder that I was finally an adult and could do whatever I wanted, but partly because this guy I was with suggested it. Said it was a better idea than going off and wasting money on lottery tickets or smoking or alcohol. Now I kind of wish I had picked the booze."

Slowly, he reached his hand out to catch her wrist, his thumb running lightly over the flower inked there. "Did he hurt you?" Killian asked quietly.

She shook her head, "No, not really. Emotionally, yes. Physically? No."

They felt into silence again, his thumb continuing to rub reassuring circles over her wrist. "I wish I could have met her" Emma says finally, snuggling closer to his warm body.

"I don't" Killian says easily, and it shocks her enough for her to turn to look up at him.

"Why?"

He sighs, "Emma, I loved Milah more than anything in the world. But there is no universe where she would be able to live and I would be able to meet you. Having you here…" Killian continued, taking a moment to pause, "It's like she's giving me a second chance. Like she's giving Henry one too."

Emma smiles before rolling on top of him once more, straddling his hips. She knows all too well about second chances. Taking his face into her hands, thumbs running over his cheekbones and eyes searching his, she simply says "I love you. You know that, right?"

"I know" he rattles off with a smirk, causing Emma to hit him on the shoulder.

"Really Killian? Han Solo?"

"Couldn't resist" Killian replies, rolling them over so he's on top of her, his lips peppering kisses over her face before moving down to her neck. "But just for the record," he says with a whisper in her ear, "I love you too."

As he moves further down her body, Emma lets out a long sigh, her grin growing wider. "I know Killian. I know."

**~K&E~**

Emma was just sitting down with her dinner on her couch, ready to watch The Princess Bride, when the phone rang. She sighed, setting her food back on the coffee table and reaching over to grab the handless phone, noticing the number immediately and answering with a smile, "Hello Killian."

"Emma, thank God you're home" he rattled off, and she could instantly tell that he was frazzled and frantic, not unlike what he was like when he left Neverland because Henry had broken his arm. "I got a call in today for a private cruise on short notice and I can't really turn them down because they're offering triple our normal rate, but Jefferson and Grace aren't home and Regina is off visiting Robin on tour and Henry can't stay here by himself and…"

"Woah Woah, slow down" Emma said, trying to calm the man on the other end of the line. She stood from the couch, grabbing her food with her free hand and bringing it back to the kitchen, placing it in a Tupperware bowl and throwing it in the fridge for some other night. "I'd be happy to stay with Henry. I have a night off anyways."

She could hear Killian sigh into the phone, "Thank God. I owe you one."

"I'm sure you can find a way to make it up to me" Emma smiled, knowing he would get the hint. "I'll be there soon."

**~K&E~**

Emma arrived at the apartment with just enough time for Killian to give her a quick kiss and a thank you before running out the door. She laughed as she shut the door behind her, making her way to the living room, where Henry, already in his pajamas, was held up on the couch playing a video game.

"You're awful quiet."

"Not quiet" he replied, his eyes never leaving the screen, "concentrating. I finally reached level 23" he pointed out as if it were the most obvious reason in the world as to why he was so intent on the game. Slowly, Emma walked around the couch, taking off her shoes as she did so.

"Mind if a fifth level wizard joins you?"

Henry let out a laugh, "On level 23? Good luck."

They played for a while, side by side, until Emma knew that she wasn't going to be a help any longer. Henry was right. A fifth level wizard on level 23? No way. "You know, I never thanked you for what you did last week."

Henry glanced at her briefly, "What do you mean?"

Emma grinned despite the awkwardness. How do you thank your boyfriend's ten year old son for giving you the weekend to yourselves? That's not normal. "Just, for setting up the whole weekend thing."

"All part of Operation Cobra" he responded quickly, hitting pause on the game. "Grace and I have been working on this for years, so it's nice that Dad finally has someone he trusts. I just want him to be happy, and it sure seems to me that he's happy when he's got you around."

"Well I'm happy I could help, because to be honest, you guys both make me happier than I can remember being in years." Henry smiled at her and then went silent, lips turning back down as he seemed to stare off into blank space. "Hey, what is it?"

"I know my Dad was really happy with my mom, and when she died he took it really hard. I don't remember her much, mostly just a few moments and the pictures that are around here, along with the stories everyone tells me. A lot went on after her death, and I don't think Dad has ever been able to move on, that is until now. But the thing is, sometimes I can't help but wonder if my parents moved on too. Like my real parents. Did they have another kid? Did they break up? Are they out there somewhere?"

A wave of guilt washed over Emma. She hadn't brought up the idea of Henry being her son in quite some time, but she was one of those people regardless. She had given her son up for adoption, whether or not it was the same boy sitting in front of her, and she couldn't help but feel a bit responsible for his unhappiness.

"It's not that I don't love my life, and not that I'm not thankful for the parents I was given" he continued, "but it's just hard sometimes, you know? I've never been alone in my life, but you still feel that way sometimes, and I don't want Dad to feel like that."

Slowly, Emma nodded her head, putting a gentle hand on Henry's shoulder, causing him to look at her. "I do understand. I don't know if your Dad told you this or not, but I was an orphan too. I was only a few hours old when my parents abandoned me on the side of a road in Maine. I never found them. I've asked the same questions my whole life."

Suddenly, his face grew brighter, "one second. Stay here" he commanded her before rushing off to his bedroom, returning a moment later with a giant leather bound book. "This is my fairy tale book" Henry explained to her, resuming his position on the couch and opening it to one of the pages. It was well worn, obviously a very old and often read book, "My mom got it for me when I was really little. She found it at a rummage sale and ever since it's been my favorite book. Dad would read it to me when I was little, and I learned to read from some of the easier stories, working my way up to the more difficult stuff."

"You've read this entire book?" Emma asked, running her fingers over the edge, letting the hundreds of pages flip through her fingertips.

"Multiple times over, yeah" Henry laughed. "Like I said, it's my favorite. But that's not the point. You see, whenever I think about my birth parents, there's one story in here that makes me feel better about it. You probably know like half the story already, but this isn't just any old fairy tale book. The stories are kind of weird."

Emma raised an eyebrow, a habit she was starting to pick up from Killian, "What do you mean?"

"Well," Henry said, flipping through the pages until he found the exact one he wanted, "you probably know the story of Snow White and Prince Charming, but I bet you don't know about their daughter."

Emma laughed, "They have a daughter?"

"Yep, at least in this story they do. Actually, the story always reminds me of you, or at least it has since my Dad told me about you."

"And why is that?" she asked, looking at the picture of the couple on their wedding day, holding each other close as the Evil Queen threatened them.

He smirked, "Because their daughter's name is Emma."

Her mouth fell open, "You're kidding. Really? Where does it say that?" she asked, starting to look through the following pages, up until she landed on the page with the baby princess, wrapped in a knitted blanket, her name written on the front of it in purple lettering. "You've got to be kidding me."

"Nope, this is a real book. No kidding here" Henry commented sarcastically, causing Emma to playfully hit him.

Over the next while, Henry and Emma read the story together, about how Prince Charming and Snow White sent their young daughter through a portal so she could come and save them on her 28th birthday. But the reason Henry showed her the story was because although Emma's parents gave her up, they had to do it to give her the best chance they could, and as Henry read the story, the real Emma looked at him with adoring eyes, remembering her own decision to give her son his best chance.

"But you see" Henry said, interrupting her thoughts, "part of the story is missing. I guess we know that eventually everything works out ok, but there's nothing on the time Emma spent in the real world. She goes through the portal and the next time we see her she's on an adventure with Captain Hook, trying to fix the past."

"Fix the past?"

"Yeah, the Wicked Witch of the West accidentally sort of sent Emma and Hook back into the past and they may have screwed some stuff up, so they had to fix it" he explained simply. "It's alright though," Henry continued, turning the page to reveal the portrait of "Princess Leia" and "Prince Charles" dancing, "everything turned out ok. They fixed it all so Emma would still be born and as far as I can tell they lived happily ever after."

Emma looked at the picture, laughing a bit at the fact that this Emma looked quite a bit like herself, and the Hook in the story didn't have a waxed mustache or perm, but rather looked somewhat like Killian, "Let me get this straight. Princess Emma ends up with the pirate with a hook for a hand?"

"Exactly. And you know what's even weirder? My Dad and I always really loved the character of Captain Hook, and now you're here and you look just like Emma in the book."

"Well then maybe these fairy tales aren't that far off after all" she laughed as they carefully set the book on the coffee table. "Now how about a movie. I've got a pretty good idea on which one we should watch." A few minutes later, they were settled in on the couch once more, game system turned off and TV switched to the DVD player that held _Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs_. Maybe the story wasn't quite the same as in the book, and Emma had to admit that she liked Henry's version quite a bit more than the one on the screen, but it still brought a smile to her face.

And an hour or so later, it was on the couch that Killian found them laying, fast asleep, as the end of the movie played. Snow White was just saying goodbye to the dwarfs before riding off into the sunset with her Prince, and Killian didn't want to wake them just quite yet. He sat on the edge of the nearby chair for a while, his eyes wandering from their sleeping forms to the open book, still showcasing the picture of Prince Charles and Princes Leia dancing on their adventure to the past.

As the story ran through his mind, he lightly chuckled, and moments later Emma awoke, looking at him with a confused expression when she noticed the amused look on his face. "What?" she whispered, slowly untangling herself from Henry, who had been asleep with his head up against her shoulder. Killian motioned for her to follow him into the kitchen, where he promptly because to make a cup of hot cocoa for the both of them. "What are you laughing about?" she asked again when they got there.

"Just the fact that in the story, Captain Hook calls Emma 'Swan' all the time."

Emma shook her head with a giggle, "the parallels increase with each passing page. Henry and I were discussing the same thing earlier, about how it's almost like I am the Emma in the book. Although somehow I doubt I'd be a princess."

Killian set the kettle on the stove to heat before turning back to her, "What do you mean, Swan?" he said, stretching out her last name, "I think you'd make a rather lovely princess."

"Just because you tell yourself something doesn't make it true" she returned to him with a wink. "You know, Henry told me that he got the book from Milah."

He gave her a soft smile, "Yeah. She picked it up at this rummage sale once. It was just kind of there, and when Henry was little it was the only book he would let us read to him. As a result, he knows every inch of that book better than anyone else."

"I can see why he loves it so much. We were talking about his birth parents and he told me about how the book helped him realize that his parents probably gave him up so he could have his best chance, just like Snow White and Charming did for Emma. Gosh it sounds weird using my own name all the time."

"You talked about his birth parents?" Killian asked, the kettle behind him beginning to whistle. He turned and poured the water into the waiting mugs, giving them each a stir before handing one to her.

"Just for a few minutes. Don't worry, I'm pretty sure there's no one in this entire world that he loves more than you, but I get where he's coming from. I was an orphan too. You just kind of ask yourself…"

"Why they gave you up. If they actually loved you" Killian finished for her before taking a cautious drink of his cocoa. "I was in the system for a while as a kid too, up until when Liam could take care of me himself. I wasn't there long, but I totally get it. My mother died when I was little and my father abandoned us when I was around three."

Emma quickly set her mug down on the counter, "Killian, I'm so…"

"No need to be sorry Love. But I'm glad that Henry has someone to talk to. He doesn't really remember Milah much and, well, as a ten year old, how do you bring something like that up to your adoptive father?"

Emma laughed a bit at his joking tone, "I guess you're right. He's lucky to have you Killian. We both are."

A slight blush lined his face, "stop it Swan, now you've made me go red!"

She took a drink of the cocoa before starting the conversation up again, going back to the topic of the fairy tales. "You know, those stories are a bit…different."

"You could say that again" Killian returned as Emma sat on one of the stools so she could face him.

"But I do have one question. Back when I first met you at Neverland, you did the whole movie star test thing and told me that you had just gotten back from filming a live action version of Peter Pan, where you were playing Captain Hook. Is that where you got the idea for that whole story? From the book?"

He winked at her, "first lass to pass the test in years and she figured out the whole tale behind it too? Gosh, what am I going to do with you?"

Suddenly, without much warning, Emma pulled him towards her, legs opening so he could stand between them, their cocoa left on the counter. "I think I have a few ideas" she commented before kissing him soundly. A cough from the doorway interrupted them a moment later.

"Will you two get a room or something?" Henry said with a laugh as he stood there, hair ruffled from sleeping on the couch.

Emma laughed, letting her forehead hit Killian's chest as he wrapped his arms around her. A moment later, Henry was gone from the doorway and Emma looked back up at him. "I should be going. It seems you'll have to figure out what to do with me another night."

"You could stay you know" Killian told her, his eyes pleading, and as usual she was about to shake her head when Henry popped back into the doorway of the kitchen.

"He's right. Just stay here already. It's not like I don't know what goes on!"

Emma laughed again at Killian's shocked expression, "sounds like I'm going to have to talk to Regina and Jefferson about what kinds of things they're letting you watch on television."

"Come on Dad. I just think it's ridiculous for Emma to have to go all the way back across town when she could stay here, right?"

Killian looked down at Emma, "the boy has a point. Stay?" he asked again, and with a nod of her head, Emma caused smiles to break out on the faces of the both of them. He turned back to Henry, "And don't think that this whole television thing is settled. If Jefferson had HBO on again…"

Emma couldn't stop giggling as Henry quickly said his goodnights before rushing out of the kitchen and towards his bedroom. "Your son is something else" Emma said to him, "but I love him at the same time."

"Couldn't have said it better myself. Now, let me see. How can I repay my lovely princess for coming over here on such short notice tonight?"

"I thought you were just going to figure out what to do with me because I keep figuring out all your secrets?"

And with a hard kiss, he pulled her onto her feet, his hand gripping hers as he dragged her towards his bedroom, "All in good time Love. All in good time."

**~K&E~**

Emma Swan couldn't remember a morning she enjoyed so much. She had woken up next to Killian, his arm draped over her waist, solid chest nestled against her back, legs entwined. The sun had been filtering in through the window, much like the last morning she had woken there, and when he woke soon after her, she knew it instantly by the soft kisses on the back of her neck and the nose that nestled its way into her hair.

It had still been early, so they had stayed there for a while, until they figured it was time to get up. After all, Henry had school and there was breakfast to make. Minutes later, all three of them found themselves in the kitchen with considerably more flour on them than in the pancakes. Music was blasting from the iHome on the counter, and while she wasn't familiar with the song, they danced to it all the same. Killian flipped the pancakes and Emma whipped up some eggs while Henry set the table and made the cocoa. They worked well together, as a team, even at the simplest of tasks.

And when a while later, they were all finished, Henry was about to leave for school when he insisted he forgot something, telling Emma and Killian to stay where they were at their seats in the kitchen. They exchanged amused glances while waiting for him to reappear, and moments later he rushed back into the kitchen with the fairy tale book in his hands.

"Here" he said, holding it out to Emma. "I figured that maybe you'd want to look at it. We didn't really read the whole story of Princess Emma last night and I thought you might like to."

"You sure Henry? It's your favorite book."

He shook his head, "I know that, but I can share. Plus, I'm just loaning it to you. I trust you enough to know you'll bring my most prized possession back in good condition."

Emma smiled then, knowing that Killian was too, "Thanks Henry" she said, accepting the book. "Any stories in particular that I should read?"

"Well the Captain Hook stories are pretty good" Henry noted with a wink at his father.

"Those happen to be the best ones!" Killian said from beside her. "Plus, it's not like the pirate ends up with the princess in every story."

"Maybe not in every story" Emma told him, leaving over to him to give him a quick kiss, "but in this one, he does." Henry made a face before explaining that that was his cue to leave, and quickly left the apartment and hurried off to school, leaving Emma and Killian laughing as they cleaned up the dishes. It took a bit longer than normal, considering that every chance he got, Killian was kissing her, but they got them all cleaned somehow.

However, as wonderful of a morning as it had been, all good things must come to an end. Much to Killian's disappointment, Emma left soon after Henry to head back to her own apartment, the leather bound book secure in a large satchel Killian had lent her.

She reached her apartment building with a smile on her face, but paused as a loud engine approached the building, a motorcycle pulling up directly in front of it. The man parked the bike, stepping off and removing his helmet. "Is this 4818 4th Avenue?"

"Yeah, it is. Why?" Emma asked, looking him up and down once. There was something familiar about him, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"Just wanted to make sure I'm in the right place. I'm moving into a vacant apartment here, 5th floor."

"Oh, well that's my floor. Wait, are you moving in without seeing the apartment first?"

He nodded slowly, checking over his bike once more before heading towards the door, "Yeah. I needed a place kind of quickly on this side of town. Based on what I read this sounded like the ideal place. I don't need much, especially since I travel a lot."

"Is that so?" she asked once again, not moving an inch. He nodded and said goodbye, opening the door to the building, when Emma stopped him, "wait. I didn't get your name!"

"That's because I didn't give it" he replied quickly before heading inside, leaving Emma on the sidewalk by herself, a confused look on her face. Just who was this man, and why the hell did he seem so familiar?


	8. Chapter 8: Newspapers

**It's been another long week, and gosh has a lot happened! Between all of those on set pictures and another new project and my new Tumblr (CaptainSwanHanLeia - which you should go follow! Although I can't be on it all the time because our internet still sucks), it's been a wild time. **

**But that doesn't mean I don't have a new chapter for you guys! I'm currently in the middle of Chapter 10, and I have to say that this, along with the next chapter, have been the hardest to write so far. I've been dealing with a case of writers block, but I'm getting it done. I just have to sit down and think it all through! **

* * *

**Questions Questions Questions this week! **

**Soooooooo many of you asked me whether or not I'm going to include the curse and their fairy tale selves, and I have an answer for you! **

**The answer is no. I am running under the basis that many of the stories we know are not a part of the book itself. Henry didn't know about Rumple losing Bae, he didn't know about Hook and his brother or Milah, none of that. Need more proof? He had no clue about Pan and how evil he was. Therefore, those stories must not be in the book, because I believe that even on the show, Henry has read that thing through time and time again. So the way I figure it, the book only goes so far back. As for Killian's name, we're going to assume he isn't mentioned by his real name in the book, since he wouldn't come into the story until Snow and Charming meet, or somewhere in there. By that point in his life, he'd only be mentioned as Killian, and in the flashback scene where Emma and Hook fix the past, he'd be "Hook" or "Charles." **

**So that's how I'm looking at it. Sadly we won't be dealing with an Enchanted Forest anytime soon, but I'm sure there's plenty of new angst in this chapter to hold you over anyways. And maybe, just maybe, I'm a bit evil. Or maybe not. Depends on how you look at it. **

* * *

**Enjoy this next chapter! =)**

* * *

**Family**

* * *

Chapter 8: Newspapers

**_28 Years Ago_**

_He was trying to run away, or at least that's what he would have been doing had there actually been something to run away from. He supposed maybe he was running from himself, or from the pain that he found back at the lake that was now far, far behind him, but other than that he wasn't quite sure why he kept going. _

_There hadn't been a mother, at least not one that he could remember. There, of course, had to have been one, but she must have died when he was really young, or maybe right after childbirth. Either that or she had run too. His father, on the other hand, was a wonderful man, despite the fact that some would consider him old enough to be his own boy's grandfather. Not that he was around anymore either. In fact, he was the reason he was running. A few days ago there had been a freak boating accident during their weekend up at the lake, and the boy had woken on the beach. His father had been trapped in the boat, barely saving his son as he perished. _

_Then, lost in the woods, the boy had cried himself out until he knew that his only real options were either to die in the wilderness or try and find civilization. So he had started running, or walking rather, in the direction he thought he remembered them coming from, hoping to find a road. He kept going until late one evening when he heard a sound, the sound of a baby crying. Following it, eventually he located the source of the noise, a little baby girl, wrapped tightly in a blanket, at the edge of the road he had been trying to find all along. _

_Picking her up carefully, he noticed the name written on the blanket, "Hello Emma" he whispered, and the baby hushed her crying, looking up at him with bright eyes. The road, unfortunately, was quiet, and so the two children, the boy carrying the baby in his arms, made their way down it. Long after darkness had fallen upon the woods, a diner finally came into view, the lights reflecting off a few puddles lining the side of the road. He paused a moment before heading inside, looking down at the baby who hadn't made a sound since he had picked her up. _

_When they entered the diner, they were met with a collection of gasps, and moments later a couple of older ladies who had been sitting in a booth came over to them, taking the baby from his arms, causing her to cry once again. _

_The police were notified immediately, and soon after, an older man in uniform appeared in his car, ushering the two of them into it before taking them on the long drive to Boston. There was another policeman in the car, who carefully took Emma to hold on to during the drive, just to make sure she was safe. When they finally did arrive, hours later, an adoption agency sitting outside the windows of the car, the boy wanted to cry again. This wasn't the life he wanted, not the life his father would have wanted for him. But now he had to go, not because he didn't have a choice, but more because he had to take care of Emma. He had to make sure she was alright, because while they had only been together for a few short hours, there was something about her. Something about the way she acted around him. _

_Over the next few weeks, the bond between the two children only grew stronger. The couple that ran the agency, or rather the foster home where they all stayed when being first introduced to the system, couldn't figure it out. Any time Emma was crying and the boy walked into the room, she would instantly quiet, eyes bright as she reached out towards him. _

_But good things cannot last forever, if you could even call the agency good. All the children, save for Emma, had one goal: find a way out. Surprisingly, they had finally come up with a solid plan on how to escape. One of the older kids had found a stash of money, enough to get them all bus tickets and then some, in the sock drawer of one of the foster parents. They wanted to leave that night, wanted to run from the terrible life they had there. _

_He felt guilty about even the prospect of leaving Emma, and found himself by her crib that night, her tugging gently on his fingers as he sat there. She was still too young to understand why he wanted to leave, why he needed to leave, but still too small to leave herself, and so he had almost stayed. He almost kept his silent pact to keep her safe, but in the end, his selfishness won out, and he ran away with the other children. Always running. _

_As little Emma Swan grew older, she had no memory of the boy that had quieted her cries. She knows there was one, because the article tells her that. They had been called "The Miracle Children," one of them found by the other on the side of a road in Maine. A young boy, orphaned after a boating accident, lost in the woods, taking care of the baby girl until he found the diner, where the police were called and they were taken to an adoption agency in Boston. The newspaper article was short, and their story was brief. It brought no good luck to the children, like such things sometimes do, one lost when he ran with a bunch of other children and the other left to grow up alone in an unforgiving system. _

_The newspaper article was all she had, a small connection to the boy who had saved her, who she really could thank for her life, and yet she didn't even know his name. _

**Present Day**

She was waiting at the bar of their favorite restaurant. Somewhere, in between making good memories at locations of bad ones, they had found one particular place they really, truly liked, which meant it was the perfect location to celebrate their six months together. It felt like it had been much longer, that was for sure, but Emma could only smile at every moment they had shared, the good and the bad. David had been right after all.

Now, she was waiting for said boyfriend of six months to show up. It wasn't that he was late as much as she was early though. Things had been slow over the past few weeks in the bail bondsperson world, so she had gotten off of work early, while Killian, prompt as ever, insisted on staying out at the docks until his usual seven, which was still roughly a half hour away.

The bar itself was quiet, just Emma, the bartender and a few other patrons, leaving her to take up residence at the table that had the perfect view of the main entrance to the restaurant. When Killian walked in, she would know. But much to her surprise, it wasn't Killian that sat down at her table first, but rather a middle aged man with a serious limp.

"Can I help you?" she asked quickly, her grip on her wine glass tightening a bit. It wasn't as though he seemed dangerous. In fact, he had a smile on his face and seemed at least a bit cheery. Plus, she was in a public place and could obviously take care of herself no matter what he tried to pull.

The man smiled a bit more, beginning to engage in small talk, "Good evening. I just couldn't help but join you. You looked lonely. Are you waiting for someone?"

Emma eyed him cautiously, "Actually, I am. My boyfriend should be meeting me here soon."

"A bit late the fellow is?" he asked, motioning for the waitress to bring him his own drink.

"Nope" she responded calmly, "I'm actually early."

They talked for a while, about his wife and the library she had started, and he told her about his estranged son, whom he hadn't seen in years but dearly wished he could speak to. Emma, for the most part, was honestly starting to wonder if the guy was delusional after all, and she was debating getting up and heading to the restroom, just to get away from the creep, when her attention snapped back to his voice.

"What did you just say?" she asked.

He cleared his throat, smiling once more, only this time it appeared a bit darker and less innocent than it had the first time, "I said it's impolite to ignore a person in the middle of a conversation, Miss Swan."

Emma swallowed, "I never told you my name." He didn't respond to her, instead pulling out a plain folder and setting it on the table between them. She glanced at the name tag, and found no writing there of any kind.

"You may not have told me your name, but that doesn't mean I don't know it. Now, I have a proposition for you."

"And why should I trust you? Why shouldn't I just get up and walk right out of this bar?" Emma asked, ignoring the hand he had placed out in front of her for her to shake and instead eyeing him down, stealing a quick glance at the bar. The bartender and waitress were off on the other side, and as far as she could tell, no one was watching them directly. A good sign that he was here alone. She could handle that.

"Because I know more about you and your boyfriend than even you may know. You see, Miss Swan, once you know what I do, I have a feeling you'll agree with me. You should get as far away from Mr. Jones as possible. You should run, and if you want what is best for your son, you'll take him with you."

Shaking her head, Emma let out a nervous laugh, "In what world do you think I'm going to leave Killian?"

"He's not a responsible father. Actually, he's not to be trusted, period. Not after what he did."

"What he did?" she questioned him. "You really are crazy, aren't you?" Emma was about to stand up when he spoke again, raising his hand to stop her.

"He really didn't tell you, did he? Sounds about like him."

"And what exactly do you know about him that makes him such a terrible person?" she spat. "Whatever it is you think you know, it's probably wrong. Killian is a great father and I sure as hell am not leaving him any time soon, no matter what you try to tell me. I don't care what happened in the past. I've been living in it for way too long as it is. The only thing I care about is that he's a good person now."

"You say that" he continued, "but maybe your mind will change once you've seen these." He hands her a small stack of newspaper articles, some relating the story of the Jones trial and others of a court case for Gold vs. Jones.

"You could have fabricated these" she tells him instantly, her eyes skimming the lines and photographs. "Could have photo-shopped the pictures. Wouldn't be the first time I've seen someone do it."

"Tell me then, does this" he says, handing her one last article, "look familiar?" When her eyes hit the page there was no denying it. It was familiar.

"Where did you get this?"

He grinned, "you know exactly where I got it, because you have one too, don't' you?"

Emma glanced back down at the article now in her hands, identical to one that sat in her apartment, safe in a box, telling the tale of the two children found alone in Maine. "That's impossible."

"Not impossible Miss Swan. In fact, as I already told you, I know exactly who you are, and now you should believe that everything I tell you is completely the truth. I know who Killian is, and as I'm sure you already know, I know exactly who your son is."

"I don't have a son" Emma answers automatically, still glancing through the articles. The trial that was sorted out between the lines appeared to be between Killian and some man named Mr. Gold. There were never any pictures of him though, only of Killian.

The man laughed, pushing the file on the table towards her, "you say that, but you didn't deny it before, and what's in this folder certainly tells a different tale. Open it, you'll find the truth." She didn't want to, but there was still that slight bit of curiosity. The nagging at the back of her mind asking if Henry really could be her son? Slowly, Emma set the articles aside, glancing up at the man across from her and then at the door where she wished Killian would appear at any moment. But he didn't. Looking back at the folder, she opened it, her eyes instantly locking on her own signature from 10 years previous. "what did I tell you Miss Swan?" he asked.

The form was one she had seen before. It was the series of adoption papers for her son, the first where she gave up her rights to him and the second handing him over to his adoptive parents. It was at the bottom of the second form that she found another familiar signature, right next to the delicate cursive of a Milah Jones. "Alright" Emma said, closing the folder up once more as she let out a deep breath, "You have my attention. What do you want?"

"What I want is simple Miss Swan. I want you to leave, as I have already said. I want you to take Henry and move far away. Take him to safety, because that is not something he will find with Mr. Jones."

"No" she said firmly for the second time. "I told you once and I'm telling you again. I will not leave. I get it. Maybe Killian did some bad stuff," she continued, pointing to the articles, "but Killian's a good man. I'm not leaving him and I'm not taking Henry away from his father who loves him more than life itself."

"Suit yourself" he told her, standing and leaving the restaurant with a limp after throwing a few dollars on the table for his drink. He left her with the articles and the folder with the adoption forms, which she glanced back at after watching him walk out the door.

A few minutes later, Killian did finally appear, a smile on his face, and Emma stuffed the articles and folder into her purse, thankful that it was just big enough to fit them. She stood quickly, plastering a smile on her face as she went to meet him, kissing him lightly.

When he pulled back his eyes were searching hers, concern written all over his face, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing" Emma responded quickly. He eyed her for another moment before nodding his head, letting the topic fall and leading her to their table, the same one they always sat at. She knew he didn't believe her, that he could tell something was bothering her, and that she would tell him when she was ready, but she couldn't help but feel guilty, a feeling that would stick with her for the days to come.

**~K&E~**

She read the book like she had never read a book before. Emma Swan had never been much for reading fairy tales. There were books out there that she loved, and she adored reading, but stories about princes and princesses were just not her forte. However, there was something about this book that kept her reading. And Henry was right, it had a lot of lessons written in the pages, about hope and family and love and trust.

It was that final theme, of trust, that really helped her through the days. When she was at work, either in the office, at home reading files or out on a stakeout, she would throw herself into her work, trying to ignore the constant nagging at the back of her mind. She knew she had to tell them, and it had to be soon, but then there was the entire basis of the fact that Killian had been keeping things from her the whole time.

After returning to her apartment the morning after her date with Killian, she had pulled out the file the man had given her. She realized that she hadn't even gotten his name. What a great bail bondsperson she was. Either way, Emma had sat down with the articles on her couch, reading them through.

Killian had told her about how Milah had died in a car accident. She knew that much, and that it had been when Henry was around two, but apart from that, Emma had no idea what went on. The articles filled in those blanks for her. Apparently, the accident that killed Milah, along with Jefferson's wife, Alice, had been caused by a man named Mr. Gold. There was never a first name listed. Never. Always just "Mr. Gold." He was mysterious enough to never be pictured in court, and if he was, his face was blanked out, preventing anyone from finding him. Some people liked their privacy, of course, but that stood out, even to Emma.

While Milah and Alice had been killed, this Mr. Gold had walked away from the scene almost untouched. He had an injured leg, but aside from that, he was perfectly fine, or so she had read in the article about the accident itself. The next one, once Emma put them all in order, told of a beating. From the sound of it, Killian had found Gold a few days after the accident, after finding out that it had been Gold's fault for Milah's death. An analysis of the accident pinned the cause completely on the man, but no charges were filed. Killian had beat him, enough to give him a bloody nose and a serious black eye, but otherwise the man was fine. Gold called the police, Killian was arrested and put on trial, staying in jail for a few days until his sentence, simply a fine and luckily no further jail time. But w eeks later, Gold took him to court again, this time in an attempt to sue him for pain and suffering.

It shocked Emma, all of it, but most of all, there was one question left unanswered. Where was Henry? For some reason, a reason Emma was silently thankful for, the boy had been left out of the articles, but there had to be more to the story.

After all, there was no way in hell that Emma believed Killian was a bad father. Henry adored him. Why he didn't tell her about whatever this trial was, she couldn't quite figure out, other than the fact that it was probably a part of his past he wanted to block out. She knew the feeling, and knew how hard it was to accomplish such a feat. But above all else, Emma wanted to sit and talk to Killian before she jumped to any conclusions. She cared about him, about Henry, too much to take any other course of action.

Yet Emma had bigger fish to fry. She found herself terrified once more at the fact that Henry could be her son. No, terrified that he IS her son, with papers in her hand to prove it. It's not that she doesn't love Henry, just that she doesn't know how to tell them. It had been a closed adoption. She wasn't supposed to find him, and he wasn't supposed to find her. That's how these things worked.

There were stories on the news all the time about biological parents tracking down the children they had put up for adoption and kidnapping them despite the fact that they may already have a happy family and home, and Emma certainly didn't want to be seen as another one of those. She had no intention of running away with Henry, she had told that man as much, and to be honest, had she known right away that Killian was the adoptive father of the little boy she had put up for adoption, she would have stayed as far away as possible. Still, there was no denying that Killian made her happy, happier than she had been in a long time, and she wasn't about to give up on that happiness now, especially when she found herself loving her son just as much as she loved his father.

But what if Killian thought that she had simply been using him to get close to Henry. What if that's what that man had wanted the whole time? Maybe he wanted to give her the information so Killian would find it, only to break them apart and cause him more pain, because if one thing was obvious, it's that that was the man's goal. Either way, Emma doubted Killian would think that way, but threw the articles in the folder and threw the folder on the table to be looked at a different day.

Which brought her back to the fairy tales, which she happened to be reading one morning as she drank her coffee. Henry had told her about all the crazy parallels between her relationship with Killian and the story of Princess Emma and Captain Hook, and for a while she had just laughed. But when she realized that there really were a lot of similarities, she knew she wanted to continue them and take a lesson out of their book. Their relationship was built on trust, and that's what she wanted her relationship to be based on too. It was, after all, what it had been based on from the beginning.

A knock on her door interrupted her thoughts, head snapping up to look in the direction of the sound. Moving the fairy tale book from her lap to the table with a sigh, she moved to answer the door, finding her new, mysterious neighbor on the other side.

Since he had moved in, Emma couldn't help but be at least a bit suspicious of him. It wasn't that the man acted strange, just that she still didn't know his name, and he was always carting around this strange shaped box. In addition, it was odd how efficiently it sat on the back of the motorcycle that was now almost always parked outside, and she continued to wonder just what might be inside of it.

She had seen him several times, once as they left their apartments at the same time, walking down the stairs together in an awkward silence. There was a bit of small talk, but he offered no more information than he had given her on that first day they had met, and he still didn't tell her his name. Once, when she was returning with Killian, they met as he was leaving, giving her and her boyfriend a small hello and a nod of his head before walking out the door they had just come through.

"Who was that?" Killian had asked, grasping her hand a little tighter, the bag of food in his other hand.

Emma shook her head, tugging him towards the stairs, "just my new neighbor. Don't worry about it."

Killian had sighed, a worried look in his eyes, but he followed her anyways, if not without a glance back at the door the strange man had gone through.

The next time she saw him, she was walking up to the building when he pulled up and parked his motorcycle, much like the first time they had met. He pulled off his helmet and grabbed the box off the back of the bike before nodding to her and opening the door for her. Emma walked through, but they said nothing on the way up the stairs.

Which led her to this morning, him standing on her doorstep. "I was wondering if you would be as kind as to borrow me a cup of coffee. I ran out."

Emma considered her options for a moment before smirking, "How about I give you a cup of coffee, and you finally tell me your name, plus what's in that box you insist on carrying around everywhere?"

The man looked lost in thought for a minute before smiling, "deal."

As Emma left her door open, stepping aside, he hurried back to his apartment, returning a moment later with the box in question. She poured him a cup, asking if he wanted any cream or sugar, only to find he drank his coffee black, before handing it to him.

Meanwhile, he slid the box on the kitchen island, setting his cup of coffee down beside it. Emma leaned up against the opposite counter, her own cup of coffee warm in her hands. Slowly, he unlocked the box, revealing an old fashioned typewriter.

She has the urge to laugh, but he quickly noticed the expression on her face. "I'm a writer," he explains. "I travel a lot."

"And you never thought of getting a laptop?" she asks with another smirk, but he just smiles, slowly closing the box back up and grabbing the coffee.

"I've tried the whole computer thing, but I find that I prefer the typewriter. Makes me think through the words more. And thanks for the coffee, but I'd better be going."

"Woah woah woah" Emma says, stepping in front of him before he can make his way back out the door. "You still have to tell me your name. After all, it was part of the deal."

He sighs, looking at her and plastering a smile on his face, "August. My name is August Booth."

**~K&E~**

Henry had picked the restaurant, like he so often did when the three of them went out together, and Emma was more than happy to let him, just smiling at Killian as they discussed the plan for the evening. The folder with Henry's adoption papers was stuffed quietly in her bag, ready in case she needed them during the discussion, and while she was nervous, Emma was trying to stay positive. She just had to trust that they would understand.

When they pulled up to the restaurant a few minutes later, her hands were shaking, and Killian noticed as he grabbed one of them on their way inside, giving her a sideways glance filled with worry. Emma had just grinned and pulled him along, trying to keep herself from falling.

Inside, waiting for their table, she and Killian had stood in a corner, Henry on a chair beside them. "Are you alright, Love?" he asked her with a whisper in her ear, one arm coming around her as if to protect her from harm.

Emma nodded, "I'm fine. It's just been a long day." He still didn't believe her, she knew. He did always say he could read her like an open book. And he could.

Again, Killian let the subject drop, just embracing her tighter before their name was called, a waitress showing up to usher them to their table. Henry followed her happily, telling her about something or another, when Emma stopped, her name being called by a voice all too familiar to her.

"Emma?" the voice asked again, and Emma slowly turned, her eyes locking with his.

"Neal" she responded, her voice breathy, and her hands shaking more than she thought possible.

He lets out a breath, "Wow. Is that…is that really you?"

"Would I know who you were if I wasn't?" she asks him, trying to put venom into her voice and failing. A moment later, she feels Killian's presence by her side, his hand quickly latching on to hers and holding tighter.

"Emma? Who is this?" he asks, glancing between them.

Emma takes a deep breath, slowly letting the air back out, "This is...this is…"

"Neal" he finishes for her, reaching out a hand for Killian to shake. "Neal Cassidy. Emma and I…we knew each other back in the day."

"I see" Killian responds, shaking Neal's hand quickly. "I assume you haven't seen each other in a long time then?"

Neal laughs, and Emma wishes more than anything for the moment to end, for him to leave just so she never has to see him again. "Not long enough" she mutters, and Killian glances at her as Neal continues to talk. He and Killian chat for a moment, and her boyfriend intertwines their fingers together, trying to offer some comfort.

And then, Henry appears, "You guys coming?" He steps up next to Killian and Emma has to hold back a sob, "I got to the table and you weren't there. Wait. Who's this?" he asks, looking to Neal.

She wanted to run, or at least look away, but her eyes seemed to have a mind of their own, making their way to lock once again with Neal's as he looked at the boy. When he turns back to Henry he offers his hand, "I'm Neal, a friend of your mom."

"Hi" he responds, as friendly as ever, "I'm Henry."

"If you don't mind me asking, Henry, how old are you?" Neal asks, and Emma can see the perfect mix of confusion and realization written on his face.

"You don't have to answer him" she interrupts, finally finding her voice and reaching out towards Henry, her hand leaving Killian's. He's confused, but looks to Henry.

"Hey, why don't you go back to the table? Emma and I will be there in a minute."

"How old is he?" Neal asks again when Emma turns to him, and tears begin to fall from her eyes. To make matters worse, they're now making a scene in the middle of the restaurant, a few patrons at nearby tables looking at them with curious eyes.

"Wait, Dad, what's going on?" Henry asks, now more confused than ever.

Killian tries once again to push his son back in the direction of the table, "nothing. Just go wait for us, alright? I promise everything is fine."

"How old is he Emma?" Neal asks again, this time louder, and it scares her so much that she jumps.

"I'M TEN!" Henry finally yells, turning around to walk back between the adults. "Why does it matter so much that you know?"

Neal covers his mouth with his hand for a moment before looking again at the boy, "Were you adopted?"

"Henry, come on" Killian says, lightly grabbing his son's arm.

He shrugs his father off, "Yeah, I was. What about it?"

Everyone is quiet for a moment, Emma looking at Neal, his own eye's finding Emma's again, Killian's on Emma and Henry glancing between everyone around him. "Emma?" Neal finally says, breaking the silence. "Is this…is this your son? Is this _my_ son?"

Killian tenses behind her, she can tell, and Emma's eyes drop to the floor. She hears Killian tell Henry once more to return to the table, but he stands his ground, and then she's nodding. It's slow at first, but it gives everyone in the room the information they need.

Henry is indeed her son, just as much as he is Neal's and now Killian's. And now the cat is very much out of the bag.

**~K&E~**

They ended up canceling dinner, mostly because Emma ran out of the restaurant after nodding to them, and Killian had quickly followed, Henry in tow. Neal had been left behind, still in shock from the simple news that he had a son.

The ride to Regina's had been quiet, and while they showed up unannounced, she accepted Henry quickly, noticing the simple confusion and pain in Killian's eyes. The same look he had after Milah passed, and she knew that there was something he needed to sort out. Something Henry shouldn't be there for.

When they reached the apartment, Emma went in first, Killian following her. When he closed the door, he leaned against it, letting his body go somewhat limp. "When were you going to tell me?" he asked quietly. "When were you going to tell us?"

"Killian" she said, letting out a sob, and he turned to her, his eyes filled with frustration and hurt.

"Is that why you're here. Why you were talking to him about his birth parents? Were you trying to create some sympathy for yourself so you could take him away from me?"

"Killian, no…I didn't…"

"What?" he asked, his voice growing louder, "You didn't know? Is that it? How could you just not know Emma? I can tell right now that you've known a lot longer than you're letting on, because how else would you have been able to tell that guy with such…certainty…that he's _my_ son's _father_?"

When she looked at him once more, she could see it in his face. The betrayal, the broken trust, the hut, all coming back to the surface. She deserved this. "I should have told you."

"Damn right you should have. Emma, why didn't you? Can you tell me exactly why you neglected to tell me that you knew my son before I did because you're his bloody birth mother?"

Emma took in a deep breath, trying to hold back the anger that was suddenly rising in her, and then something snapped. "You think you're the only one keeping secrets? When" she asked, letting out another sob as she reached around in her purse, "when did you plan on telling me about this?" She threw the articles at him that the man had provided her with.

It took him a minute to take in what she had thrown at him, but it didn't take long for his expression to change. "Emma…wait…"

"No. You get to yell and I don't? Is that it? I'm the only one here at fault because I've been keeping secrets? Or are these articles all a bit fat lie? Yeah, I did know that Henry's my son. It's why I ran away the first time I saw him because while I didn't have any physical proof of it, I just knew. He has his eyes, Killian. He has Neal's _eyes_, and _hair_, and _face_, and that's a part of me I've been trying to block out for years and I wanted to be wrong" she cried, digging through her bag again until she grabbed the adoption papers. "I wanted these to be a lie. I didn't want him to be my son because that would just make things easier. But he is, and there's nothing I can do to change that. But don't act like I'm the only one at fault, because while I've been _neglecting_ to tell you about Henry, maybe you've just been _forgetting_ to tell me about how you were in jail."

He stood there, a blank look on his face for a moment before continuing, his voice a whisper, "Emma…did it ever occur to you that maybe I never told you because you'd see me different. Maybe you'd think I'm a terrible person and want to run away? Because that's what happens with everyone else. They all run away. So maybe that's what you should do too, because now's your chance."

Now it was Emma's turn to stand in shock, and while every instinct in her told her to run, because that's what she was good at, she stood her ground. "I…I can't…Killian…"

His eyes softened then, and suddenly she was in his arms, his head pressing into the hair on the top of her head, a single tear falling from one of his eyes. "Emma" he said simply, and she wrapped her arms around him as well, the adoption papers falling from her hands and to the ground.

"I can't leave. Yes, I run away. It's how I've always survived" she tells him, pulling back slightly, "but believe me. I wanted to tell you, and I want to stop running."

He looks at her, understanding finally washing over the both of them, "You have to know that I would have told you. It's just…it's a part of my life"

"That you want to forget" she finishes for him. "I get it. It's the same way for me."

He nods, grasping her hand and pulling her to the couch, sitting them down. "I think you and I," he says, running his fingers over her cheek, "have some stories to tell."


	9. Chapter 9: The Truth

**And so we have reached another Tuesday and another chapter of "Family!" **

**I've been super busy lately (I'm currently in the middle of about 7 or 8 large scale projects, this story included), so it's been rough finding time to work on the rest of the story, especially when I must admit that we are nearing the end. Sort of. There's a bunch of chapters yet, so don't worry too much, but as far as my outlining goes I have loose plot for the remaining chapters, so that's something. I'm currently halfway through writing Chapter 10, but that will be done on time as usual next week! **

**On the topic of this chapter though, it is a bit shorter, although I think I'm thankful for that because I must have rewrote/typed it around 8 times. I think I know the flashback scene by heart at this point. **

**Also a note that yes, the present day picks up IMMEDIATELY where we left off. You'll get it though. :) **

**So I hope you enjoy, and reviews are always welcome! I want to take a second to thank all of you readers for being so wonderful! I've had such a great response to this story and it just warms my heart. Thank you sooo much! **

* * *

**Family**

* * *

Chapter 9: The Truth

**_8 Years Ago_**

_They were sitting in the court room, although Killian couldn't care less. It's not like he was paying attention to the proceedings anyways. _

_In the front of the room, a young woman showcased the results from the tests done on the scene of the crash. The defendant, Mr. Gold, had been speeding down the road, failing to stop at the red light and instead slamming into the car that had once held Milah and Alice. Killian had already heard it millions of times, the case presented to him and Jefferson and just about everyone else, but it did nothing to bring Milah back. She was gone. _

_This Mr. Gold, however, was not gone. He had barely been injured in the crash, walking away from it with nothing more than a bum leg. Of course, he'd always have a limp because of it, but he was alive. That's more than could be said for the two women in the car he'd hit. _

_Gold was a successful businessman, but that's just about all Killian knew about him aside from what he said in defense of himself. He admitted to running the red light, and to causing the crash, but the act he put on showcased more worry and sorrow for what he had done. His excuse was an argument with his wife, causing him to get into his car and drive away his anger. They accepted his pleas and apparently felt sorry for him, of all people, because the world knew him as Mr. Gold, CEO of one of the largest companies in the world, Magic Inc. It produced high tech gadgets, or something like that, as Killian was told. Everyone loved him. He was a favorite in the community and had a perfect record. Therefore, in the eyes of everyone, he was basically an angel, aside from the one slipup that left two people dead. _

_But Killian knew. He could see it in his eyes whenever Mr. Gold glanced at him from across the courtroom. There was no remorse there. No real sorrow for the families that had lost a member that chilly night. Just a cold, arrogant man, one that knew that if he played his cards right, he would be as free as the next person. _

_And he was. There were no charges actually filed against the man. The media had called it a shocking development in the case, but Killian knew why. Gold had everyone wrapped around his finger, and the smile the man shot him as he left the courtroom only strengthened that belief. It was an awful smile, but Killian couldn't miss it. It was mocking him. He was mocking him. Gold had won, and Milah was dead. _

_The days passed by slowly for them all. Jefferson took the news better than Killian, who, mostly, stayed in his apartment taking care of Henry. He took off of work, barely showing his face except for when needed for the trial. Henry, of course, was happy to spend the time with his father, still too young to realize what had really happened. _

_So one night, about a week after Gold walked away a free man, Killian found himself down at the docks. The stack of paperwork on his desk had grown a mile high over the past few weeks, and whether he wanted to deal with it or not, he had to get it done. Jefferson was at the apartment with Henry, and Grace of course, since it was already late in the evening and Killian knew that he wouldn't get any work done with a toddler running around his office. _

_By the time he left, turning off the lights and locking the door securely behind him, the clock on a nearby church struck eleven, the bells ringing loudly throughout the streets. It was a chilly night, and he pulled his coat tighter around him, crossing his arms in front of him and walking quickly back towards his apartment. It was a route he walked thousands of times, glancing in the storefronts along the way. A bakery, a coffee shop, a barbershop, a women's dress shop, all long since closed for the night. But one location still had its lights lit: the bar about a block away from the docks. _

_Killian paused for a minute, debating whether or not to go inside, when he decided he might as well. Just a beer or something. It might do him some good before returning home. Plus, Jefferson and Grace were staying overnight, so they would be fine without him for another half hour. _

_The bar was quiet for such an evening, the cold temperatures keeping people in their homes. Plus, Killian noted, it was late on a Wednesday night, not prime time for large crowds to be swamping the tables. He sat on one of the first stools at the counter, placing an order with the bartender, who had come over instantly. But while he waited for his beer, the largest crowd in the establishment let out a whoop, causing him to glance in their direction. _

_And there, right in their midst, was Mr. Gold. _

_He was surrounded by several young women, all young enough to be his daughters in Killian's opinion. They were laughing, shots passed around as one of them moved closer to the man, half sitting in his lap as her blond hair fell over one shoulder. _

_The anger that arose in Killian was hard to keep down, but he knew he had to stay calm. At first, he figured that maybe he should just leave, but something kept him glued to the seat, the rage steadily building as Gold and the women continued to laugh. _

_Finally, everything became too much. Here was the man who had Killian Milah, his Milah, without as much of a hint of guilt. Maybe he had said he had in court, but Killian knew the lie, and soon enough he found his legs carrying him to the table. _

_Gold stopped for a minute to look up at him, taking in the familiar face, "Well look who the cat dragged in. If it isn't Killian Jones." _

_"Shut the hell up Gold" Killian snapped before looking to the ladies, "You girls know what he did, right?" They looked at him, confused, before slowly shaking their heads. "He killed innocent women" he continued, causing one of the girls to laugh and tell him he was drunk, and then another piped in, telling him to get lost, but Killian stood his ground, even as their laughs echoed around him. _

_"She's right. Why don't you go home to your son? The one you probably left all alone since he no longer has a mother." _

_"You bastard" Killian said quickly, gritting his teeth and clenching his fists into balls. And then, before he knew exactly what he was doing, Killian was punching him. "That's from me, for taking Milah away from me" he muttered after slamming his fist into Gold's nose. The girls around them scattered, one rushing off and picking up the phone, probably to call the police. "And this" Killian continued, punching him again, this time closer to his eye, "is from Milah, since she's not here to do it herself." _

_With Gold trying to stop the bleeding from his nose, Killian simply walked back to the barstool, sitting down and taking a drink of the beer in front of him. The young bartender, a girl who couldn't have been older than 19, stood in shock, the glass she had been wiping down still in hand. The other girls rushed around, trying to help Mr. Gold, and a few minutes later, a police car pulled up outside. The blonde that had been in Gold's lap rushed out to meet him, and Killian knew that it was only a matter of moments before he was taken away, the way Gold should have been. _

_He spent that night in jail, Jefferson worried and confused when he didn't come home, but if there was one thing that was seared into Killian's mind, it was the arrogant smile Gold had given him as he was ushered out the door. The same smile he had given Killian on the way out of court. _

**Present Day**

_He nods, grasping her hand and pulling her to the couch, sitting them down. "I think you and I" he says, running his fingers over her cheek, "have some stories to tell." _

Emma sighed, reaching up to take his hand into hers before looking him in the eyes, "do you want to start, or should I?"

He took a deep breath, like he sometimes did when he was nervous, but simply started nonetheless. He told her about Milah, about the night she had died, about the trial and jury that had let Mr. Gold go free. He explained to her the sorrows he went through, and the fateful night that landed him in jail, if only for a short time.

"I was in jail too you know," she had told him when he paused, and Killian looked at her with confusion. "That guy that told me to get the tattoo?" she continued, and Killian nodded, "his name was Neal. It's the guy we met tonight. That's him. He stole some watches, hid them in a train station, and I went and got them a while later. He was going to fence them so we could go to Tallahassee and start a new life, but he abandoned me. Sent me to jail for his crimes. It's half the reason I had to give up Henry. He was born in jail. I was handcuffed to the bed" Emma explained, her eyes falling down to their hands, which sat calmly in her lap. "I got out a few months after Henry was born and ran basically."

"So Neal is Henry's father then?" Killian asked quietly, running his thumb over the back of her hand, and again Emma simply nodded. They were silent for a moment, letting all the information sink in, until Killian continued his story. "I almost lost him you know" he said sadly. "Henry that is."

He figured she would be ashamed of him, or think him a terrible father, but she didn't. Instead, Emma released his hand from hers and ran it up to his neck, pulling him in for a light kiss. Their foreheads touched when she pulled back, "That doesn't make you a bad man or father you know. We all mess up. What's important is that Henry loves you."

"But Emma I…"

"But nothing Killian. You may have almost lost him, and yes I do want to hear the rest of the story, but don't you believe for a second that I think any less of you because of it. After all, I'm the one who gave him up in the first place. I wanted him to have his best chance, but for all I knew he could end up like I did, going from foster home to foster home. You gave Henry much more than that. You gave him the life I wanted for him."

Killian smiled softly, their lips meeting in another quick kiss before he once again continued the story. Emma learned about how he was put on trial, but also released. He had a clean record, much like Gold had, and while he admitted to hitting the man, there wasn't enough damage done for him to have anything more than a small fine.

What caused problems was the case that came after, the trial of Gold vs. Jones. The man attempted to sue Killian for pain and suffering, while also tipping off officials, suggesting that Killian wasn't a good father for Henry. Killian told her about the fight to keep him, something he was thankfully able to do, much thanks to Regina, the woman who had taken him in as her own during the trail, when Killian wasn't allowed to see him, and his lawyer and close friend, Archie. Eventually, Henry was returned to Killian, and after a period of a few months of close supervision, he stayed permanently. Meanwhile, Gold lost the case, largely due to the fact that it was plain to see that Gold had caused Killian just as much "pain and suffering" as Killian had caused him.

Which led Emma to tell Killian her own story. She had already explained about Neal, but went into more detail, telling him about how she had once trusted the man, and then he just went and left her. Of course, the gentleman he always is, Killian calmly assured her that he wasn't going anywhere, and he sure as hell wouldn't let her go to jail for him, no matter what he might have done.

Then she told him about meeting Henry. She explained why she had run, about how she just instantly knew that Henry was the boy she had given up for adoption. Killian had been, at first, a bit confused, but as she explained, he began to see what she meant. His initial reaction to finding out that Henry was her son had been to think that she was there simply to take Henry away from him again, or to weasel her way into his life. "If I had known who Henry was" Emma told him, just as the sun began to rise on the horizon, shedding light onto the apartment, "I would have stayed as far away from the boy and you as possible. But by the time I figured it all out, it was too late. By the time I first met him, Killian…" she said, letting out a breath, "I was already in love with you. I couldn't leave then. Maybe I wanted to, but I just couldn't."

A smile emerged on his face, "You don't have to run anymore Emma. I get it. It's a part of your past you wanted to block out and forget. You never wanted anyone to know about it and running was easier than facing it, right?" She nodded slowly. "Then we understand each other. Emma, I don't want you to leave. I still want you to be here. But you said that it was just a gut feeling. How did you get those then?" he asked, pointing to the stack of papers on the table nearby.

He had looked them over earlier, realization dawning in his eyes. The adoption, after all, had been closed. Emma had stated there would be no contact. She didn't even want the adoptive family to know her name. So they hadn't. Until now.

"This man" Emma told him, reaching out to grab the papers, looking down to the signatures at the bottom of each page, "came up to me when I was waiting for you last week, on our anniversary. I was really early and he just sat down at my table and started trying to tell me that you weren't fit to be a father and that I didn't know who you really are.

"That's why you were so upset that night" Killian stated, putting the pieces together in his head. "Wait," he paused, "What did this guy look like?"

Emma closed her eyes, a faint image of the man coming to mind, "he was older, probably in at least his 50's. Long, grey hair and these really weird eyes."

"Did he have a limp?" Killian asked quickly, his eyes searching hers with worry when she finally reopened them.

"Yeah, I think so. Wait, Killian, what are you talking about? Who is this guy?"

She watched as he turned slightly away from her, his gaze falling to the newspaper articles sitting out on the coffee table. He swallowed, "his name is Mr. Gold."

**~K&E~**

Regina answered the door, a solemn look on her face, "I don't know what you did Killian Jones, but I haven't seen him like this…_ever_." He sighed, ignoring her comment as he passed her, walking into her home. Regina closed the door behind him, following him as he made his way to the kitchen. "He's outside with Roland, so are you going to tell me what's going on?"

"It's a bit of a long story" Killian told her, his fingers running along his temple. He needed more coffee for this.

The woman next to him gave a smile, reading his mind as she went to the coffee machine, filling it with new grounds and beginning a new brew. "I've got plenty of time. Now sit down and tell me what's been going on. You can't just mysteriously drop Henry here without warning, only for him to spend the night upset, without an explanation."

"He was upset all night?" Killian asked, his attention falling to the condition of his son.

Regina shook her head, "Not all night. While Roland was up he was fine, trying to entertain him like normal, but the second he was to bed, Henry just sat in front of the TV. I don't remember what was on, but I know he wasn't watching it. I tried to ask him what had happened, but he refused to tell me."

"Sounds about like my son" Killian joked, but Regina simply stared at him.

"What happened last night Killian?"

He let out a long sigh, grasping the mug of coffee Regina had just handed him. "We were going to go out for dinner with Emma, but this man came up. Apparently he knew her. No" he stopped," he _did_ know Emma. Turns out his name is Neal Cassidy, and he's Henry's father."

"He's what?" Regina asked, barely swallowing the sip of coffee she had taken.

"You didn't even let me finish. Apparently Emma is Henry's birth mother."

"You're kidding me, right? You've got to be joking. That's impossible. The adoption records were…"

"Closed" he finished, cutting her off, "I know. But she didn't find us on purpose. I guess fate does work in mysterious ways."

Regina fixed her posture so she was no longer leaning over the counter, instead standing straight, the heels she was wearing giving her a couple of extra inches, "You're telling me that your girlfriend, whom you've been dating for six months, is actually the birth mother of your adoptive son but none of you knew it?"

"Yeah, something like that. Well, actually she did know. At first it was just a gut feeling, but then last week she had a visitor." Regina waited for him to finish, moving her hand in a gesture to continue when he stayed silent. "Mr. Gold."

Regina wasn't sure what to say. After everything that had happened eight years previous, it wasn't like she wanted to jump right back into the whole affair. She loved Henry like her own son, but even she often pretended that none of that had ever happened. "So what are you going to do then?" she asked hesitantly.

Killian ran his fingers through his hair, making it stick up on end, "I have no idea. I guess right now I just need to tell Henry what's going on. Meeting your birth parents both at the same time and finding all that out at once can't be comforting."

"Henry's strong, Killian. He always has been."

"I know Regina. I know."

**~K&E~**

The ride back to their apartment was spent in silence, although Killian knew Henry kept glancing at him, itching to ask the questions that were running through his young mind. When they did finally arrive, Henry went straight to the kitchen, moving to make hot cocoa.

"You making some for me too?" Killian asked as he followed him, and Henry responded by silently taking out two mugs instead of just one. While the water heated on the stove, the boy busied himself by adding the cocoa mix to each mug and getting out the whipped cream and cinnamon, while Killian moved to sit on one of the island stools, calmly watching his son. "We can talk about it you know."

Henry stopped what he was doing, a spoonful of hot cocoa powder balancing on the spoon above one of the mugs. He let it fall into the cup before setting the spoon down and turning to his dad. "Did you guys know the whole time? That Emma was my mom?"

Killian shook his head, "No. We didn't. She had a feeling that something about you was familiar, and the thought crossed her mind, but she didn't know for sure until last week."

"Were you going to tell me?"

"Henry, Emma wasn't even sure how to tell me, much less you. But yes, she wanted to tell us. She wanted to so much."

"Then why isn't she here?"

That stopped Killian. Emma had suggested she stay and talk to Henry as well, but Killian thought maybe it would be better if she hadn't. He saw now that maybe that was the wrong decision. "Henry…"

"Dad you don't get it. I was all excited to go out for dinner last night and then all of a sudden I go from no birth parents to two of them standing right in front of me and what was I supposed to do?"

"I don't know. But Henry, I love you. You have to know that. And Emma does too. I can't speak for the man you met last night, but we care about you more than anything."

"I know you do" the boy responded calmly then, pouring water into the mugs and handing one to his father. "But Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"I want to meet them. I want to meet my birth parent."

**~K&E~**

Emma showed up at the apartment later that night, Henry's favorite Chinese food in tow, along with the complete collection of Star Wars, which Henry had been asking to watch for ages. Killian answered the door, pulling her into a light kiss before walking with her to the living room, where Henry was sitting on the couch, waiting.

"I'll just let you guys talk for a minute or two" Killian said, walking out of the room and into the kitchen, leaving Emma and Henry alone.

He was silent as she set the food down on the coffee table, "I brought Star Wars" she told him, unsure of how else to start the conversation. "I know you've been asking if we could all watch it together for a while." Still, he said nothing as she sat down next to him. She opened her mouth to say something, but closed it once again, still unsure of where to go with the conversation.

But Henry speaks before she can figure out where to begin again. "I know why you gave me up" he tells her, and Emma is taken aback.

"You do?"

He nods, "You want to give me my best chance."

"How do you know that?"

"It's like in the book" Henry explains. "Remember? Snow White and Prince Charming had to give baby Emma up to give her her best chance. If they hadn't, she wouldn't have been able to come back and save them."

"But Henry…the book isn't real" Emma explained.

Henry laughs and then lets out a breath, "It may not be real, but that doesn't mean it's not true. Emma, like I said, I understand. I'm not mad at you for giving me up. I love my life here with my Dad. He's the best one I could have asked for, and to be honest, I'm pretty happy you're here now, against all the odds."

She can't help but smile at his confession, and Emma grabs his hand, giving it a light squeeze, "You're a good kid Henry."

"So I've been told" he laughs. "But Emma?"

Her worry peaks again, "Yeah Kid?"

"I know there's a lot going on and stuff, but what was my dad like?"

She sighed, but began the story with a smile. She explains about how his father was, deep down, a good man, but at the same time he had hurt her. Of course, there were a few details she left out, but for the most part she told him the tale from start to finish. "Neal was a good man Henry, you can't forget that, and even though there's still a part of me that loves him, and maybe he's changed, it doesn't mean I can forget everything he did. There would have never been a future for us."

Henry nodded to her, "I get it. But will you promise me one thing?"

"What?" she asked, holding back a sob.

"Promise me that this isn't going to change things? That you're not going to run away from us because I'm your son. I don't think my Dad could handle losing anyone else."

Emma smiled, "I promise you Henry, that I'm not going to be leaving any time soon. I love your father, and I love you" she told him, taking his hand again, only for Henry to attack her with a bear hug.

And as Killian watched from the doorway, he could just make out as Henry whispered "Thank you Mom" into her ear.

**~K&E~**

She was at the grocery store, like she so often was, standing by the apples. Unlike years ago, she wasn't stealing though. Emma Swan had every intention of paying for her food in full this time, along with the oranges and granola bars and hot cocoa mix that lined her cart.

At least she would have if she had made it all the way to the checkout without abandoning her cart.

Emma figured she was safe. After the run in with Neal, she was terrified of finding him again, and had, previously, made an attempt to go everywhere with Killian in tow. But when you have hardly been home in weeks and actually need to have food around to eat, a late night trip to the grocery store became necessary. Of course, that one time she went out without Killian would be the time Neal finally made an appearance.

He found her at the apples, walking up behind her and instantly whispering her name, much like he had at the restaurant. "Emma?" he asked again, this time a bit louder, and she slowly turned to him, resisting the urge to make a run for it.

"Hello Neal."

"I've been looking for you all over town" he admits quickly as he takes a step towards her, only for Emma to take a step back. "Woah woah, what are you doing? I'm not gonna hurt you."

"Look, I'm not going to stop until you tell me the truth. You played me" Emma rattled off, taking another step back.

"Slow down, what are you talking about?"

"Did you even care about me?" she asked him quickly, her voice growing louder.

"Hold up. We can't do this here. There's a bar down the street, we can talk there."

"I am not drinking with you!" she hissed, and another young woman nearby stopped to look at them.

"Look, you can keep yelling at me there. Just…let's go."

He walked away, not looking back at her, and while Emma seriously once again debated running, she wanted answers, and reluctantly followed, her cart of food abandoned.

"What do you want to know?" Neal asked her when they made their way to the bar. It was quiet, although Emma supposed it was normal for late on a Wednesday night. Neal had ordered them each a beer, sitting down at the counter, although Emma refused to do the same, instead opting to stand next to him.

"Did you set it up? Needed someone to take the fall for all the watches you stole?"

"I wasn't using you. Emma, I went to sell the watches, and I ran into a friend of yours."

"A friend of mine?" Emma asked, confused.

"Yeah, August."

"Look, I don't know anyone named…" she started, and then stopped, realizing that she did indeed know a man named August. The man who lived next door to her. "Wait, you left me and let me go to prison for you because a man you'd never met named August told you to?"

"Emma…" he started, but she cut him off.

"I loved you."

"I was…I was just trying to help you."

"By letting me go to jail?" she asked him quickly, tears sprouting in her eyes.

"Emma, I didn't know what else to do. He threatened me. I had no choice. But you know what my father always told me? He told me that things happen because of fate. That forces greater than us conspire and there's nothing we can do about it. So maybe there's something good that came out of us being together. Maybe Henry's that thing."

"No" Emma stopped him. "You don't get to say that. The only thing that happened was I went to jail and was forced to do the same thing my parents did to me. I may love Henry, but he's no more yours than he is mine. Henry Is Killian's son. But it doesn't matter now. I'm over it. And you."

"Why do you wear the keychain I got you?" he asked suddenly, pointing to the chain that held it around her neck.

Her fingers went instantly to the pendant, wrapping around it and pulling it off her neck, setting it on the bar in front of him, "to remind myself never to trust again."

**~K&E~**

She wasn't quite sure why she always ended up here, no matter what time of year it was, but the swing in the Nolan's backyard was just where she went to thin, to try and figure out how everything fit together against all the odds. And that's where she found herself once again.

The encounter with Neal had shocked her, causing her more pain than she could have imagined, and suddenly, going back to her empty apartment seemed illogical. But she knew Killian and Henry would already be asleep, and after the crazy few days they had, she didn't want to wake them, despite the fact that Killian had given her a key to the apartment a while ago.

So instead, Emma made her way to the Nolan's, entering the passcode for their garage door and slipping into the house. They wouldn't wake, or check on her, since she was the only one who knew the passcode for the door, so she made her way to the kitchen, preparing a cup of hot water before placing a tea bag into the liquid.

A minute later, Mary Margaret appeared, not at all shocked to find the intruder to the house to be Emma. "What happened?" she asked simply, tying her robe tighter around her.

"Nothing. I just needed to get away, that's all."

"Emma, something's been going on. I know you better than that. Now spill. What happened?"

Emma sighed, launching into the story about meeting Neal again, and finding out that Henry was her son and while she didn't tell Mary Margaret absolutely everything, she knew that her friend was able to fill in the missing pieces herself.

After a rub on the back and a drained cup of tea, Mary Margaret bid her goodnight, telling her to call Killian in the morning, but that otherwise she could stay as long as she needed.

The next morning, before she could call him, Killian's name popped up on her cell phone. He was worried about her, as always, having shown up at her apartment that morning with a chai latte and a couple of donuts only to find her missing. She assured him she was fine, gaining a pointed look from Mary Margaret, who sat at the table trying to feed James. Killian asked her a second time via the phone if she was alright, gaining the same response, before he told her he loved her and she responded in kind before ending the call.

Which led her to the swing in the backyard, where she was stationed an hour later. The air was chilly for spring, but the oversized sweater that was wrapped around her kept her warm enough to stay out there. The door behind her opened and closed, but she didn't look, figuring it was just David, coming out to try and talk some sense into her once again, and the footsteps that made their way over the grass only strengthened the idea in her mind.

But it wasn't David that sat down next to her.

"Emma?" he said, Irish accent thick with worry.

"Killian, what are you doing here?" she asked instantly as he moved next to her, wrapping the blanket he had brought around the both of them and pulling her closer.

He smiled, placing a kiss to her temple, "I was worried."

"How did you know I was here?" she asked, "Where's Henry?"

Killian laughed, "I had a gut feeling, and don't worry. He's inside playing with James and Mary Margaret. Look, Emma, I don't expect you to tell me why you're really here. I mean, these past few days have been ridiculous, but I'm just worried."

"Is that really the only reason you're here?"

He wrapped his arms a little tighter around her, his hand bringing her head to rest on his chest, "Mostly, but something just told me that you needed me."

And he was right. She did need him. She needed him more than she had ever needed anyone in her life. And when she buried herself closer, finally letting the tears escape her eyes and fall onto his shirt, he didn't ask any other questions.

Because he knew.


	10. Chapter 10: Propositions

**Time for a new chapter! **

**To be honest, this one really sets up the rest of the story, or at least part way. As I may have said last time, I'm not 100% sure how many chapters will be left, but there's at least two or three following this, plus an epilogue. But things will happen. Lots and lots of things. **

**And since some of you asked...many actually...yes. Gold is a complete jerk. Just a disclaimer though, I love his character on the show. I love ALL the characters (in different ways I suppose, and some more than others. But I don't hate against ANY of them). The reason he's such a jerk here is because one sort of needs a plotline, am I right? In short: I love Rumple/Gold, but yeah, in my story he's evil. Really, really, evil. **

**This is also a longer chapter, and you'll see the return of some characters we haven't seen in a while, all of which were SUPER fun to write. =) **

**Enjoy! **

* * *

**Family**

* * *

Chapter 10: Propositions

**_Ten Years Ago_**

_He had left Emma with the car and one of the pricey watches. There were plenty left, and once he fenced them there'd be enough money for them to go start a new life wherever they wanted to, crime free. They could have a home, the one thing that Neal Cassidy hadn't had in a very, very long time. _

_But as he walked down the street, Neal grew suddenly area of someone following him. At first he thought it was just one of those weird feelings, and he shrugged it off, but when he did finally look behind him, sure enough, someone was walking a ways back. Same pace, eyes locked on him. _

_No, they couldn't catch him now. Not when he was so close. He had to run, for himself, for Emma, for their life together. And he did. A sharp left was all it took for him to book it down the alley, although based on the heavy footsteps behind him, the other man had caught on, following him. Unfortunately, a fence was all it took to block him from the freedom he so desired, and he was pulled back roughly. _

_"Who are you?" he yelled, turning back to the man, both of them breathing heavily. "You're a cop, aren't you? Well those posters…that's not…" _

_"I'm not an undercover cop" the other man replied quickly, dusting himself off and smoothing out the wrinkles in his jacket. "My name's August. August Booth." _

_"Alright August" Neal continued, confusion setting in, "if you're not an undercover cop, who are you? You've got two minutes." _

_August looked him in the eyes, "Think of me…as Emma's guardian angel."_

_The only thought running through Neal's mind was that this guy was obviously insane, but he apparently knew who Emma was. "Guardian angel? I'd say you've been doing a pretty crap job" he snapped back, debating whether to try running again or not. _

_"I've been looking for her for the past two years" he explained, voice growing louder. "Now I finally find her and she's robbing convenience stores with some dead beat. Tell me again who's doing the crap job." _

_Neal shook his head, "I'm gonna tell you something. I'm the best thing that's ever happened to her. Two years?" he asked, gesturing with his arm, "where were you the rest of her life?" _

_August sighed, "I'm not perfect. This world? Full of temptations. Turns out I'm not that great at saying no. I'm not built that way. But I'm here now." _

_"So who are you?" _

_"We were in the same home as kids, and I thought that she'd be safe inside the system. But now that she's out…back then I promised I would take care of her…" _

_"We promised we would take care of each other" Neal interrupted. _

_August's eyes searched his own, "You love her. Good. That means you have to do right by her." _

_"That's all I'm trying to do." _

_"Then leave her" he said quickly, a sense of finalization in his voice. _

_"Never." _

_August was quiet for a minute before nodding and walking back down the alley, "I'm gonna show you something. Something that's going to make you look at everything different. When you see what I have in here" he tells him, patting a wooden box on the back of the motorcycle that Neal could only assume was August's, "you're gonna listen. You're going to believe everything I say." _

_He opened it then, and Neal muttered a "yeah, right" before leaning over to look in the box, only to stop as he took in the words printed on a piece of paper, written with the typewriter that also sat in the box. __**Mr. Gold is onto you**__. Neal read it over and over again before standing back up, August closing the box as he did so. _

_"Okay," Neal said, running his hand over his face. "I'm listening." _

_"He knows about you. He knows where you are, about Emma, about all of it, and he's gonna catch on sooner or later." _

_"And what do you have to do with all of this? Why warn me?" _

_"Because" August told him, "I think you and I can agree that if Emma were to come into contact with your father, things wouldn't end the way we want them to." _

_He was right. This man may have just walked into his life, claiming to be Emma's guardian angel, but he was completely correct. If Gold was onto their trail, onto his trail, it would only be a matter of time before he was caught, and the last thing he wanted to do, ever, was run into his father. Running by himself would be easy, and leaving Emma would make it easier for her to run too. They could both fall off his radar and be safe. _

_"So, Neal, you're gonna have to make a decision. Will you do the right thing? Or not?" August asked. "So? Are you ready?" _

**Present Day**

Once Emma felt as though she was ready to face the world once again, she and Killian simply sat on the swing for a while longer, him making jokes to try and get her to laugh. Thing was, if there was anyone worse at bad jokes than David Nolan was, it was Killian Jones. Eventually, he did get her to laugh though, rejoicing in the grin that lit her face up.

A few minutes later, they were sitting with Mary Margaret, James and Henry. They had been playing with some of the blocks sitting on the floor, spelling out words. Emma gave Henry a kiss on the top of his head, followed by one for little James, and was about to follow Mary Margaret into the kitchen to make lunch when Killian pouted at her, causing all of them to laugh. But when she leaned in to kiss him, Killian instead pulled her down, pinning her to the couch and attacking her by tickling her. Henry joined in, never wanting to be left out of a tickle fight, while James laughed obnoxiously on the floor, all while Mary Margaret stood in the doorway, shaking her head lightly.

When she finally escaped the clutches of her boyfriend and his son, Emma joined her old friend in the kitchen, helping to prepare grilled cheese for the lot of them.

"You're happier than you've been in a long time, aren't you?" Mary Margaret asked with a smile as she placed the bread into the pan, layering the cheese and other slice on top.

Emma set down the piece of bread she had been buttering and laughed, "I guess you could say that."

"He cares about you, a lot. I can't even recall one time that Walsh came all the way out here just to find you when you mysteriously disappeared. He barely even called."

"To be honest" Emma commented, "I'm starting to think that Killian might know me better than I know myself."

When she went to fetch the boys a few minutes later, grilled cheese sandwiches piled up on a plate on the table, Emma stopped in the doorway. In the living room, Killian was now stationed on the floor with Henry, James sitting in his lap as they played with another of his toys. It seemed perfectly natural for Killian to be sitting there with her godson, and suddenly her mind turned to thoughts about having one of her own. Like a second chance. But just as quickly as the thought popped up, she dismissed it. No need to think about that now. Not yet at least.

"Lunch is ready" she said finally, and Henry leaped up from the floor, rushing into the kitchen.

"Thank God! I'm starving!"

Emma laughed, ruffling the boy's hair as he hurried past her, and when she turned back, Killian was standing next to her, James secure in his arms. "Say hello to Emma" he told the boy, trying to get him to smile and laugh, which wasn't hard. It was obvious that James liked Killian, although a moment later he did reach out for Emma. "It seems he wants his godmother more than me."

She grinned, "it does seem that way." Carefully taking James from Killian, they made their way into the kitchen, sitting themselves at the table. Mostly, Henry did the talking, telling them about his projects he was working on at school. Mary Margaret offered to help him on a science project, since she, before having James, had been a schoolteacher herself.

But eventually they had to leave. There was still the drive back into the city to be made, and Emma hadn't changed clothes since the day before. It was time to get home. So with one last goodbye to Mary Margaret and James, they drove off.

And when they finally stopped an hour later, it was in front of Emma's apartment building. She hadn't even noticed the route Killian was taking as he drove through the streets, not figuring out that they were headed to her apartment instead of his.

"Why are we here?" she asked, freezing in her seat, and the smile that had been previously plastered on Killian's face fell as well.

"I figured maybe you'd want a change of clothes, maybe a shower and a night in your own bed? It's been a tough week, love."

"I know, but couldn't we just go to your apartment?"

He knew something was up instantly, and watched her, trying to put together the pieces. She was freaking out again, her posture stiff and eyes wild. "Emma, what's wrong?"

Her eyes flashed to the motorcycle parked nearby, and she shook her head. "Nothing, it's just…I'd rather…"

"How about we all go inside" Henry suggested. "Emma can grab some clothes and then we can all head back to our place, right Dad?"

Turning around, thankful for his son, Killian agreed, "Great idea Henry." He turned off the car and together, the three of them made their way up to Emma's apartment. Throughout the short walk, Emma's hand clutched tightly to Killian's, and she pulled him along at a faster pace than was normal for her. Something was definitely up, and he intended to find out what it was.

Unlocking her door and letting them in, Emma hurried off to her bedroom, and Killian asked Henry to stay in the kitchen, to which he agreed, moving to look in the fridge.

When he reached Emma's bedroom, Killian slowly closed the door behind him. Emma was pacing across the room, one of her hands running through her air as she let out a sigh. He sat on the edge of her bed, facing her, "is there something you want to tell me?"

"I saw Neal yesterday" she blurted out, "hence the reason I went out to Mary Margaret's."

Killian's face hardened, fists balling up, "and what exactly did he say?"

Emma sighed again, "we talked a bit. I asked him why he left and he told me it was because of a guy named August, who apparently I know."

"Let me guess, you don't know anyone named August, right?"

"No no no" she said, shaking her head, "the problem is that I _do_ know someone named August. He lives next door to me. The guy that owns the motorcycle downstairs and carries that blasted box around all the time. It's a typewriter, by the way, in the box. He's a writer. I learned that and his name last week, finally."

"Wait a second" Killian stopped her, holding up one of his hands, although Emma continued to pace across the floor, "let me see if I have this all straight. You think that the creepy guy who lives next door to you is the same guy that convinced your idiot ex-boyfriend to abandon you and send you to jail?"

She nodded, "I know it sounds crazy, but it all makes sense. This guy seems familiar, and don't you find it odd that he moved in right before Neal showed up? And I guess I'm just freaking out about all of it, but I don't want to be here alone if a creeper is living next door." Killian pondered for a minute, Emma even stopping her pacing to look at him. "What?"

"I'll be right back" he explained, standing up and heading to the door, "wait here."

He went out to find Henry, and when she peaked out of the doorway to find them, they were at her kitchen counter. Henry had obvious found the juice, but right now Killian was whispering something into the boy's ear. Emma watched as Henry's face lit up before he turned to whisper something back, and Emma retreated into her bedroom just before Killian could find her watching.

He closed the door behind him again, moving to take her into his arms, "Emma, this isn't exactly how I thought this would happen, but since when have we ever been conventional?"

Emma panicked, "Oh god. You're not going to ask me to marry you, are you?"

Killian chuckled, "Oh bloody hell no. Not yet at least" he continued with a wink. "I just thought that since your lease is up, it makes sense for you to move in with us."

"And Henry's ok with this?" she asked instantly, a little breathless.

"Of course he is" Killian told her as he held a finger to her lips, telling her to be silent as he quickly tiptoed across the floor to open the door, letting an eavesdropping Henry fall onto the floor, a silly grin on his face.

"So is that a yes?" the boy asked, getting up slowly, and Emma soon found two sets of eyes on her.

"Of course it is" she smiled, and then Henry pulled them all into a group hug, the three of them laughing all the while.

**~K&E~**

Moving wasn't ever difficult for Emma Swan. It wasn't as though she had a lot of stuff. She moved a lot, meaning she didn't have roots much of anywhere, so the less she had, the easier it was to move from place to place. And to top it all off, she wasn't really the sentimental type. Plus, since Killian already had furniture of his own, there wasn't really a need to move that stuff either, although he and Henry insisted she bring her couch and TV, since apparently they were better than the ones they already had.

Which meant that the two of them, along with David and Mary Margaret, would be over the following morning to help move everything from her apartment to Killian and Henry's. Currently, Ruby was over, spending Emma's last night in the apartment with her. It was a bit strange, considering the last time she moved in with someone it had been with Walsh, but unlike with him, Emma had no concerns when Killian asked her, aside from Henry of course. She wanted to, plain and simple.

"So how have things been between you and Victor?" Emma asked as Ruby closed another of the boxes. There were only a few left, most of her possessions already packed away and ready to go.

Her friend set the tape aside and picked up her glass of wine before responding, "better than you could ever imagine. You know, he took me to see The Merry Men again."

"God what did he do to deserve that kind of torture?" Emma teased, causing Ruby to swat her on the arm.

"He did nothing, except for he was trying to be the great boyfriend that he always is. But let's be real. Why aren't we talking about you? You're the one moving in with your boyfriend. Getting serious, huh?"

Emma smiled softly, "well my lease was up and with everything going on and…"

"Oh shut it. You trust him Emma. Don't lie to me."

She laughed, "I can't disagree with you there." Emma plopped down on the couch, and Ruby followed suit, bringing her legs up underneath her as she faced her friend. "It's been that way the whole time. I mean, when I first met Killian I was still so shattered because of Walsh and he just waltzed into my life and picked up all the pieces."

"It's true. You've come a really long way."

"And it's all thanks to him, hands down."

"Just promise me one thing, alright?" Ruby asked her. "When you two get married, I get to be the maid of honor."

Emma let out a snort, "First off, who said we were getting married? We're only moving in together, that's all. And second, why would it be you and not Mary Margaret? After all, I was maid of honor at her wedding."

"And you'll be maid of honor at mine too" she whined. "But seriously, don't give me that. You and Killian are obviously both in this for the long haul and there's not one doubt in my mind that you won't be together for the rest of your lives. It's like true love or something."

"What, like in a fairy tale?" Emma asked, her eyes glancing at Henry's fairy tale book, which sat in one of the last open boxes.

"Well think about it. That man would do anything for you, and you've already faced more issues than most people face in a lifetime. You've got some serious baggage Emma Swan, but he looks past every last bit of it. Plus, you may not notice it, but the way you look at each other is something else. God, I want that. I want someone to look at me that way" Ruby continued, staring off into blank space.

Emma took a drink of her wine before responding, "Victor doesn't?"

Ruby gasped, "wait. Maybe he does. Maybe someone does look at me that way and I just don't know it!"

Emma laughed again as her friend freaked out, "Can't help you there Ruby. I've only seen him when we're all out together, and according to you I'm so wrapped up in looking at my 'husband-to-be' that I don't notice."

Although still excited, Ruby calmed, "whatever you say Emma. But between you and me? It's not that far off."

And for once, Emma couldn't help but smile.

**~K&E~**

The next morning, Killian, Henry, David, Mary Margaret and little James all showed up at her door bright and early. Why they insisted on being so early she couldn't figure out, but Emma did know one thing. Eight in the morning was too damn early to be moving boxes down four flights of stairs.

"How long has the elevator been broken anyways?" David asked as he and Emma walked down the stairs, each carrying a box.

Emma laughed, "only since I've moved in. But Mrs. Rochester downstairs told me it's been broken for years. It's why she made them move her to the first floor when an apartment down there was vacated."

'Well they should certainly consider fixing it" he huffed, readjusting his grip on the box.

They'd been at it for a while already, and while she didn't have a lot, getting the bigger stuff down had taken enough of their energy, and they figured that maybe one last meal in her apartment would do them all good. Mary Margaret instantly volunteered to start with breakfast, enlisting Henry to help her with the food while the rest of them organized everything.

As David packed the boxes into the truck, Emma made her way back up the stairs, her breathing heavy from the constant up and down. She'd forgotten how exhausting moving was, even with the help of her friends and family.

But when she reached the top, Emma froze. The door to her apartment was still ajar, making it easy for them to move in and out, but it wasn't open far enough for anyone to see out of it, and standing in front of his own door, locking it carefully, was August Booth.

Since the decision to move in with Killian, Emma had made quick work of letting the landlord know she would be leaving, ending her lease and promising to be out within the week. She had stayed with Killian a couple of nights, and then decided to be a big girl and stay by herself once more before Ruby came for the last evening. Luckily, there hadn't been much sign of the man in the apartment next door, aside from the reminder of his presence that sat outside and the faint pitter patter of the typewriter she sometimes heard late at night when all else was quiet.

He turned, noticing her, and Emma slowly moved towards her apartment. "Emma. I was hoping I'd catch you before you left."

"Did you now?" Emma asked him, frozen in place once again.

August nodded, and he took a step towards her just as Killian swung open the door of Emma's apartment, ready to walk out. He stopped short at the scene in front of him, quickly setting the box he had been carrying down and moving to stand behind Emma, his arm going around her waist in a protective motion.

"Hello" Killian said, charming as ever, although Emma knew it was part of the act. "I'm Killian. Emma's boyfriend. I think we met once or twice."

"I believe so" August responded, his sentence short. "I'm August Booth, by the way. Glad I could finally meet you before Emma here moved out. I heard she was leaving and just haven't had the time to stop over and say goodbye. I thought I'd missed you."

"No" Emma shook her head, "I'm still here. At least for now. Everyone's here to help me move the last of the boxes and then I'll be gone."

The three of them were silent then, Killian still standing behind him, sizing up August with his gaze. Emma's hand instinctively went to intertwine with Killian's, giving it a squeeze, and August shuffled back and forth between his feet. "Well" he said finally, "It's been nice living next to you. I hope you enjoy your new apartment."

And with that, August left, Emma and Killian watching him go. "I don't like him" he told her after the other man had gone.

"Oh shut up" Emma said, turning to give him a peck on the cheek, "you're just happy because I agreed to move in with you."

"While that may be true lass, my point still stands. There's something…off…about that August Booth."

Emma sighed, grabbing her boyfriend's hand once more, pulling him back into the apartment, "I know. But I'll be safe now. We'll all be safe now."

**~K&E~**

Emma Swan had never quite been the roommate type, and there was really only one instance in which it worked out well. That had been years ago, when she stayed with Mary Margaret. But for some reason, fitting into life with the Jones boys was easier than any of them could have expected. Her schedule worked perfectly with Killian's, although they had realized that some time ago, and she would help out with Henry too, staying with him when Killian had to go out to the docks for a cruise or to get some paperwork done.

She helped Henry with his homework from time to time, most recently a volcano that erupted all over the kitchen counter, and made meals for them all to enjoy…sometimes. That is, if she didn't burn down the entire apartment building first. Killian would come home and she'd greet him just before Henry arrived to attack him with his usual bear hug.

The truth was, Emma had been living with them full time for less than a week, but it was almost as if she had been there from the start, and none of them was happier about the whole situation than Henry.

Killian had been, once upon a time, a bit frightened at what his son might think of a girlfriend he brought home, specifically one like Emma, whom he had fallen for, and fallen hard. But much to his surprise, and relief, Henry had loved her from the instant he saw her, and once she was around all the time, something new was lit inside the boy.

Maybe it was because Emma was his birth mother, and suddenly he wanted to know everything about her, or maybe it was simply because previous to finding out his biological records, he already looked at Emma as some sort of maternal figure. No matter what it was though, they bonded, and became almost as inseparable as two people could be in their situation. Killian would often find them laughing in the kitchen or curled up on the couch together, reaching the fairy tale book. Apparently Emma had grown quite fond of it as well, and they rejoiced in the stories together.

So when he planned on spending a late evening at the docks about a week after Emma moved in, Killian had no worries about leaving the two of them alone, other than the constant concern that they would drink too much hot chocolate.

Since Killian was gone the whole night, and Henry had already finished his homework for the weekend, they decided a game night was in order. Henry dug out his collection, featuring Monopoly and Life and Twister and a selection of games that Emma had never even heard of.

But just as they were setting up Monopoly, the phone rang, and Emma leaned back, reaching over her head to grab the receiver that sat on the table. "Hello?"

"Emma? Oh I completely forgot you moved in. Hey, it's Jefferson. I was just wondering if Killian is there" answered the man on the other end.

"No, he's out at the docks tonight, why?"

"I was just wondering if he could watch Grace tonight but it totally slipped my mind that you'd moved in and you don't need to keep an eye on her and…"

"Hey" Emma cut him off with a laugh, "I'd love to have her here. Henry probably would too." When the boy looked up at her in confusion, she mouthed Grace's name and he nodded with a bright smile. "We're just playing some board games anyways."

Jefferson gave a sigh of relief, "Thank God. We'll be there in like ten minutes. Sound good?"

"Sounds perfect" Emma finished before hanging up the phone and reaching back to return it to the charger. "Grace is going to come over for a while" Emma explained to Henry.

"That's great! I haven't seen her much. You know, with all the craziness going on around here and school and it's just kind of weird not having her around" Henry trailed off before pausing, moving back to continue sorting the money, although Emma couldn't miss the slight blush that came across the boy's cheeks.

And a few minutes later, as promised, Jefferson and Grace were at the door, a smile on the girl's face and a relieved look on her father's. "Thanks for doing this Emma" he said as Grace rushed in to sit next to Henry at the coffee table where the board was laid out. "The baby sitter canceled tonight and I've been trying to let Killian off the hook a bit."

"It's fine" Emma explained. "Plus, the more the merrier when it comes to Monopoly, right?"

Jefferson laughed at that before saying a quick goodbye to his daughter and heading out for the evening. When Emma returned to her place on the floor before the couch and right next to the coffee table, Henry and Grace had already rolled the dice to see who would go first and were waiting on Emma. Previously, Henry had beaten Grace's roll of a 6 with a 10, but then Emma beat his roll, double sixes, getting a snicker from Grace as Henry faced defeat in who would roll first.

"So what was your Dad off to in such a hurry tonight?" Emma asked Grace as they waited for Henry to roll a while later.

She smiled, "He was going on a date. Henry over there may have worked his Operation Cobra magic on you and his Dad, but I still had work to do."

"Because it was about finding someone for each of your Dads, right?" Emma questioned further, and this time Henry was the one who responded.

"Pretty much. That's the basis of it I guess. Or at least the easiest way to explain it. BOOM!" he yelled, rolling the number he needed to buy the last property in the color he needed. "You're all going to bow down to me by the end of this game, you do know that, right?"

But they didn't. In fact, Grace beat Henry by a mile, with Emma falling somewhere in between them. Another board game was suggested, but they decided that maybe some hot chocolate, popcorn and TV would be a better idea. Grace had come in sweatpants and a t-shirt, so as Henry went to change out of his jeans, the two girls were left alone.

As soon as Henry had left the room, Emma lightly nudged Grace in the side, "So, Henry, huh?"

"What about henry" Grace asked quickly, although her face turned a bright red.

Emma laughed, "Oh don't give me that. Come on. You like him."

"Well of course I like him, he's my friend!" she tried in defense, although the girl couldn't help but smile.

"Ah yes, but the question is if you _like_ like him."

Grace opened her mouth and then closed it again, leaving Emma to raise one of her eyebrows and nod her head, "that's what I thought."

"You won't tell him, will you?" she asked immediately, moving a bit closer to Emma.

She shook her head, "of course not. That's for you two to deal out. But Grace?" Emma returned, and the girl looked at her again, "if you ever want someone to talk to, I'll be here. I'm sure your dad isn't super great at girl-talk."

Grace laughed, "you could say that again. It's hard not having a mother around sometimes."

Emma knew how the girl felt. She had grown up in a world filled with foster homes, constantly changing families and no real maternal figures to be found, so she could perfectly understand Grace's position. "You have to admit that Henry got the luck of the draw there. His dad is pretty awesome."

The girl next to her made a face of disgust, "you're just saying that cause you like him."

"Oh no, Grace" Emma laughed, nudging her again. "I _like_ like him."

Henry appeared a moment later, although he fell asleep part way through the episode of whatever TV show it was they were watching. Grace ended up telling Emma more about growing up with her father, about how he was working all the time, and how sometimes she would spend a ton of time with Henry and Killian. But she loved her life, and Emma could tell. They traveled together a lot too, so while for his entire life, Henry had stayed in New York, she had been able to see places like Paris and London and all over the United States.

And by the time Jefferson appeared later that night, Grace almost didn't want to leave. Just as Emma had enchanted Henry, it seemed she had bonded with the young girl as well, and with a hug goodbye, Jefferson and Grace left for the night.

With a sigh and a smile, Emma closed the door and turned around, heading back to the living room where Henry was still sound asleep on the floor. A glance at the clock told her Killian would probably be back soon, so she just let the boy sleep, changing the channel to HBO, hoping Game of Thrones would be one because hey, just because Killian didn't let Henry watch HBO didn't mean she couldn't.

And after all, he was asleep anyway.

**~K&E~**

Paperwork, paperwork and more paperwork.

Killian honestly loved running the cruising company. It was one of the only connections he had left to Liam, and his love of the sea and the water kept him near the docks anyways. Of course, he much preferred to be out on the boats than in his office doing the paperwork on the business side of things, but sadly he was the one running the show, which meant it was his job.

While he had always been fine with leaving Henry with Jefferson and Grace, he couldn't be more thankful for the fact that he had a girlfriend willing to stay with his son so he could come get some actual work done. When he neglected to do it, as he often did, he would end up sitting in his desk chair until later into the night. But with Emma and Henry safe at home, it made it easier for him to focus on the work at hand.

A glance up at the clock on the wall next to him told him that, although he was in the middle of yet another pile of paper, it was about time he should get home. Eleven thirty was plenty late to be out, and he still had to make the short walk home.

But as he walked along the street, passing the bakery and the coffee shop and the barbershop and the women's dress shop, all closed for the night, he couldn't help but pause in front of the bar. It was louder in there tonight than it had been all those years ago. He could tell simply by standing outside.

Then again, it also wasn't a Wednesday night in the chilly winter months.

Pushing open the door, Killian found the bar packed to the rafters. Music was blasting out of an old-fashioned jutebox in the corner, which he didn't recognize. In fact, the whole bar seemed to look different. But why shouldn't it? He hadn't been here in eight years anyways.

Slowly, he walked past the various tables, his gut telling him that he would find exactly the man his eyes were searching for. And sure enough, at a small table near the very back of the establishment, right next to the emergency exit that led to a back alleyway, was Mr. Gold.

Not unlike the last time Killian Jones had found him at the bar, he was sitting with a girl, although only one this time. Her long brunette hair was pulled up into a ponytail and while she wasn't in his lap, she wasn't far from it. Killian took a breath before moving towards him, balling his fists as he walked.

Stepping into the light in front of the table, but stopping before he reached it, Killian watched him. He was whispering something into the girl's ear, but when she gasped, realizing someone was watching them, Gold's eyes locked onto his own.

"Well, well. If it isn't Killian Jones. Long time, no see."

"What do you want Gold?" Killian asked, ignoring his greeting.

The older man frowned, "What? Not even a hello? How rude."

"I will not play games with you" Killian explained, expression hardening. "So tell me" he paused, "What. Do. You. Want?"

Gold sighed before looking to the girl again, wrapping a bit of her hair around one of his fingers before whispering again into her ear. The brunette's eyes never left Killian, and with a frown, she eventually left the two of them alone. Gold motioned for him to sit, which tentatively, Killian did.

"It appears, Mr. Jones, that I do not know what you are talking about. What do I want with what?" he asked, hand running along the cane he had pulled out from underneath the table.

Killian gritted his teeth, "you know exactly what I'm talking about. Don't play dumb."

"You're going to have to be more specific. You see, I deal with many large business transactions each day. It's easy for unimportant matters to…slip my mind" he finished with a wave of his hand.

"Emma. I'm talking about Emma. A couple of weeks ago you came up to a woman named Emma Swan and gave her the articles about me and adoption records for my son."

"Well, I do faintly remember the name. Quite a lovely name, don't you think?" Gold asked, his voice filled with sarcasm.

Underneath the table, Killian unclenched and then reballed his fist, "What do you want with her? Why bring her into…whatever this is?"

"Because she's the key. This Emma? She will be your undoing, and then I will finally win."

Killian laughed, "win what? This game you've invented? I'm not playing. Never have. And you sure as hell aren't going to hurt Emma. Or Henry for that same matter."

"You say that now, but let me tell you something. I'm incredibly good at tracking people down, and even if you run away, no matter where you go, I will find you, and I will ruin your life."

"And why would you want to do that?" Killian spit back.

Gold smiled, again that awful smile, "because you have something I want Jones, and I will do anything to get it. No one breaks a deal with me."

"We're never made a deal. Never."

"Well maybe we haven't, but that doesn't mean others can say the same. But since we're talking deals, I'll make you a new one. You have two options. You can either drag me out this door" he explained, pointing to the emergency exit, "into the alleyway, and you can beat me. You could kick me, you could punch me, you could _kill_ me for all I care, and you'll never have to deal with me again. The pain would be over and you will have one."

"And what, I'll go to jail? That's what you want, isn't it? You want me in jail."

"I never said that. I generally do not wish such a fate upon anyone. I've heard it's rather…unpleasant."

Killian let out another breath, trying to stay calm, "What's the other option?"

"If you reject that first idea, you could always walk back out the way you came, leaving me the way you found me. You could walk out that door and not look back. But I swear to you, Killian Jones, that if you choose the second option, you won't be rid of me. I won't stop trying to turn others against you, your little girlfriend and your son will not be safe. And I _will_ win."

The voice in his head told him to get up and leave. Emma's voice. Henry's voice. But there was still the part of him that wanted to keep them safe, and the first option would make sure of that, even if it meant he might not be there to enjoy the safety with them. But ultimately, Killian knew that he was better than the man sitting in front of him. Vengeance was not becoming of him, and he would not flal into the trap that had been set.

"I guess I pick the second option then" Killian told him before standing up and walking out of the bar the way he had come, leaving Gold by himself. A minute later the brunette returned, but Gold roughly pushed her away, hobbling with his cane out the emergency exit and into the alley, pulling out his cellphone as he did so.

He dialed a number quickly and brought the phone up to his ear, waiting for the call to go through. A greeting came through the other end, and in the dark alleyway in the middle of New York, even with the sounds of the bustling city around him, Gold's words echoed.

"Yes, officer? I would like to report a missing person."


	11. Chapter 11: Not a Trace

**Super sorry that this Chapter is a day late! I had some serious writers block and then a ton of technical difficulties involving my internet (it's been half on, half off all week). Also, thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! Due to the same lack of internet, I haven't been able to respond to you guys, but it didn't go unnoticed! Thank you so much for all your kind words! **

**This was an interesting chapter to write, to say the least. It went back and forth a lot, and I'm trying to incorporate some scenes from the show itself, but with different people and it's a bit difficult since I'm just now rewatching the episodes that inspire many of the scenes, but I'm happy with how it turned out. You'll see the return of a few characters plus one new character that I'm sure you'll all be glad to see. Super excited I got to fit this one in. **

**Other than that, with hope that my internet works, there will be a new chapter up as usual next Tuesday. There aren't many chapters left now, probably only two plus an epilogue...although even that's up for debate. It all depends on what I do with the next chapter. **

**But for now, enjoy Chapter 11, and feel free to leave a review! I'll do my best to respond to all of them! =)**

* * *

**Family**

* * *

Chapter 11: Not a Trace

**_10 Years Ago_**

_She wasn't expecting anyone, especially not at his late hour. Then again, it was odd for her to have anyone knocking on her door at all. She didn't really have many visitors. But here she was, racing down the stairs to answer the door to her small apartment. Snow, the all-white cat, sat in the corner, ears pricked and head turned in the direction of the door. _

_"Emma" Mary Margaret said as she opened the door. The young girl was standing just outside the apartment, arms wrapped around herself and one foot back as if she were going to back away slowly. "I didn't know if you would come or not." _

_"Yeah, I was just…is that room still available?" she sighed awkwardly, moving her foot back next to the other. _

_Mary Margaret smiled, "of course it is." Her grin grew wider and she stood aside so Emma could move in, and after a moment of hesitation, she finally did, walking past Mary Margaret and into the apartment. "Do you want anything to drink? I was just about to make some hot chocolate." _

_"That sounds great" Emma said quietly, obviously not sure what to do with herself. As Mary Margaret busied herself with making the beverage, Emma looked about the apartment. There was a small kitchen with an island counter, and then a dining area made up of a table and a few odd chairs. A bathroom was in one corner, and in the other sat a makeshift bedroom. There were stairs that she assumed led to at least one more bedroom as well. "You know, I'm gonna just go grab something from my car, alright?" she said, once again backing towards the door. _

_Mary Margaret simply smiled, "I'll leave the door unlocked for you. And don't even think about running away now. I can't drink all this hot chocolate by myself" she joked, pleased when Emma laughed lightly. _

_"Don't worry. I'll be right back." And with that, she walked back out the door. _

_If she was being completely honest with herself, Mary Margaret hadn't thought it would work. When she had been teaching her class earlier in the day about random acts of kindness she was talking more like helping an elderly person cross the street or buying someone's meal, not offering your home up to a complete stranger. And yet, here she was. Then again, it wasn't as Emma was going to murder her in her sleep or anything. She was just a girl, and she obviously needed help. So if Mary Margaret could do that, she most certainly would._

_A few minutes later, Emma returned, much to Mary Margaret's relief. She was carrying one box and one box only, which she set down just as the teapot began to whistle. Emma kneeled down next to the box and looked through it as Mary Margaret brought her a mug, which she gladly accepted. _

_"Is that all you have?" Mary Margaret asked, sitting in a chair nearby, running her hands along the edges of the mug in her hands. _

_Emma looked up at her, setting her own mug down on the table before moving a few extra shirts, uncovering a wooden box, "yeah. I guess so. I'm not really sentimental. Plus, it's not like there was much room in the car."_

_"I suppose you're right" Mary Margaret agreed, "it's just, I don't know how you would be able to live with so little. And I can't even fathom living out of a car." _

_"It's not so bad, at least once you're used to it." Emma resumed sorting through her things, but conversation grew quiet, the two of them drinking their cocoa in silence. _

_"Emma?" Mary Margaret asked finally, and the young girl looked up at her, "tell me about yourself. I mean, if we're going to live together I figured I should know a little more about you other than the fact that you're living out of your car and I can fix that."_

_"Well" Emma answered her, choosing her words carefully, "I was found on the side of a road as a baby and then I was with a family until I was three before they gave me up. I spent years in the foster system, up until I was 16, when I finally found a way out. Then…" she paused, looking down at the contents of the box once again, "then I met someone. But it didn't really work out. Actually, I ended up in jail. It was all a big mistake though. I got out a couple weeks ago and have been living in my car ever since." _

_As she finished, Emma moved to sit in the chair across from Mary Margaret, who looked deep in thought before her eyes landed on the box. She set the mug down before reaching into the cardboard and pulling out a knitted blanket. "What's this?" she asked, running her fingers over it. _

_"My baby blanket" Emma explained, watching Mary Margaret carefully. "It's the only connection I have to my parents. It's all they left me." _

_"Emma" she said softly, taking in the weaving that spelled out the name on one side. "Did you ever find them?" she questioned, finally setting the blanket back down. "Your parents I mean?"_

_She sighed, "No. I didn't. I never even found stable foster parents." Emma paused for a moment, taking a drink of cocoa before continuing. "I wonder what that would be like." _

_"What? Finding your parents?" Mary Margaret asked. "Maybe you'll find out" she went on, folding the blanket back up and placing it carefully back in the box. "You can't give up." _

_The girl across from her laughed, "I think giving up would be the best plan. I think I need to let go."_

_"No you don't." _

_"Really?" Emma asked, almost sarcastically. "If they wanted to know me they wouldn't make it so hard to look." _

_"Maybe" Mary Margaret said, sipping her drink, "but maybe there's other reasons. Maybe there's another explanation." _

_"If there is, it's something crazy" Emma returned, looking down as she set the mug on the table. _

_"But that doesn't mean you should stop looking, no matter how crazy the idea might be. Just because your parents left you on the side of the road," she said softly, "doesn't mean that there isn't a family out there waiting to find you." _

_"Yeah, right" Emma laughed. _

_Carefully, Mary Margaret took Emma's hand into her own. "Emma Swan, I don't know who hurt you or what kind of life you've lived, but I do know that someone cares. I care. And someday someone will love you and take away all those bad moments and memories and experiences and replace them with good ones. You have to hold onto the belief that things will get better Emma, because the minute you lose hope is the minute I know they won't. _

_Emma slowly looked up, squeezing Mary Margaret's hand, "Thanks." They were silent for a minute before Emma let go and cleared her throat, "I'm sort of tired. It's been a long day and…"_

_"Oh, the room, of course" the other woman continued, jumping up from her seat and grabbing the two empty mugs. She placed them in the sink before ushering Emma up the stairs to the spare room, leaving her with a goodnight. _

_And for the first time in what seemed like forever, as Emma closed the door and turned to face the bed, she realized that she had hope. Hope that maybe things were going to get better, that she would find a home, or at least a warm place to sleep, preferably without seatbelts, and maybe a friend that wasn't going to leave her in jail. Someone she could trust. _

_But most of all, Emma Swan finally felt like there was hope of finding a family that wanted her just as much as she wanted them._

**Present Day**

As Emma walked into the bedroom, Killian glanced up at her from his place on the bed, one eyebrow raised as he watched her. "Last of the boxes?"

Setting down the cardboard on the chair, Emma nodded, "finally. It's not like there were a ton of them to begin with, but it'll be nice to be completely unpacked."

He laughed, setting the book he had been reading down, "how you lived with so little I'll never understand. Henry and I have about five times as much stuff as you do, each."

With her back still turned to him, Emma laughed as well, slowly pulling out the few items in the box. Meanwhile, Killian got up from the bed and moved to stand behind her, slowly wrapping his arms around her waist and settling his chin on her shoulder so he could see what she was doing. "I'm not sentimental you know" she told him, although the fingers that slowly ran over the blanket in her hands told him a different story.

"What's that?" he asked, pulling her a bit tighter against him.

"My baby blanket" she responded with a sigh, turning it to show him her name in the purple ribbon. "It's the only thing I have from my parents."

"And you never found them, huh?"

She simply shook her head, "I gave up a long time ago when it came to finding a family. Mary Margaret said I should keep looking, that there would someday be a family out there for me, but I doubt that."

"Henry and I are your family Emma, you should know that" Killian commented, a hint of sadness in his voice, and Emma turned to face him, wrapping her own arms around his neck, one hand playing with the hair at the base of his head.

"It's not that I don't love you and Henry, it's just that even with you guys and Mary Margaret and David and Ruby and everyone else, I feel like I don't have a family. Not one like I always dreamed of as a kid."

He kissed her forehead softly, "but we can be. Maybe you have yet to believe it, but Henry and I aren't going anywhere, as long as you aren't" he laughed, "and no one else is either. We're your family Emma, and I'm going to do whatever it takes to get you to believe that."

"Killian" she whispered, looking down as she broke their eye contact. "I don't think…" and suddenly he had picked her up and thrown her over his shoulder. "Killian, what are you doing?" she screamed, trying to break out of his grasp.

"Showing you" he told her before setting her on the bed and climbing on top of her, "that you, Emma Swan, are beautiful" he kissed her once, "loved," and again, "and a part of a family." Once more, he pressed a kiss to her lips, but before he could pull away, she had twined her fingers in the hair on the back of his head and kept him there, deepening the kiss. When she finally pulled away he kissed his way along her jaw and down to her neck, the stubble that lined his own jaw scratching at her smooth skin.

"You intending to take me to your bed or something Jones?"

He moved to whisper in her ear, "it's our bed now actually, but yes. That's the intention."

Suddenly a knock sounded on the door and Emma giggled at the sight, head thrown back. Killian stopped his ministrations and looked to the doorway, where Henry stood, one hand covering his eyes. "I know I grew up mostly without these scarred for life sort of moments, but I would like to continue that streak, and it's dinner time. So you two have three minutes to get into the kitchen or else I'm going to make my own food." And then he left, hand still covering his eyes.

Emma turned to Killian with a smile, but he jumped up quickly from the bed. "And where are you going? I thought you were going to take me to _our_ bed?"

"As much as that sounds like a wonderful way to spend my evening, the last time Henry tried to make dinner we ended up eating blackened eggs. Not burnt. Blackened."

Emma laughed as he boyfriend rushed to the kitchen to find his son, and she slowly stood up from the bed, glancing at the baby blanket that was not draped over the back of the chair in the corner of the bedroom. Correction, their bedroom. With a sigh, she turned off the light and followed her boys, praying that blackened eggs wouldn't be on their menu tonight.

**~K&E~**

Thankfully, dinner wasn't blackened eggs, but rather spaghetti, which was an adventure to make considering Emma and Henry couldn't handle boiling the water, but Killian made up for their lack of experience, and soon they had full stomachs. Once the dishes were washed, dried and put away as well, the trio sat down at the kitchen table, all working on something.

Henry, considering the fact that he was still in school, was working on his homework. He was excited for Mary Margaret to help him with his science project that weekend and was trying to come up with new ideas, meaning he had the laptop stationed in front of him, open to find inspiration. At the moment, his number one project was a volcano, and while Henry was excited about the "huge explosion" it was going to make all over the kitchen, Emma and Killian were less than enthusiastic.

Killian, as behind on work from the docks as ever, had a stack of his own paperwork to get through. With the spring and warmer weather came plenty of cruises out on the water, which he was glad to captain. The downside was the obnoxious amount of forms and checks and spreadsheets and bills he had to deal with on the desk side of things. But he still loved his job, especially when he got to do it sitting next to Emma, who was stationed to his right.

She was working on paperwork as well, only her folders were made up of new case files she could take on. Since meeting Killian and Henry, she had lifted a bit on her workload. Emma was good at her job, and she got paid well for doing it, so she could afford to let a number of cases go now when less than a year ago she accepted every single one simply because she wanted to keep herself busy. It was nice, she had to admit that. Plus, less cases gave her more nights at home, like tonight, as she slowly ran her hand along Killian's thigh.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see him glance at her, and his intake of breath told her the ploy was working. Of course, she wasn't going to do anything, especially considering Henry was sitting across the table from them, but that didn't mean she couldn't tease him.

But when a knock sounded at the door, all three of them looked in the direction of it, and Killian looked to Emma before sighing and standing. It was late for anyone to be knocking, even for Jefferson, and he always called before he came. Same with Regina and Ruby and Mary Margaret and David. But if there was one thing on the other side of the door Killian never expected to see, it's what he did.

"Can I help you?" Killian asked, eyeing the two police officers up and down.

"Yes. Are you Killian Jones?" one of them asked quickly.

He nodded, "I am. Why? Is something wrong?"

The other officer held out a piece of paper while the first one pulled out handcuffs, motioning for Killian to hold out his hands, "Killian Jones, you're under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. Anything that you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you free of charge."

"Wait, what's going on?" he asked as the officer cuffed him, only for Emma to appear from the kitchen.

"Killian? Killian!" she yelled, rushing to him by the doorway. "Wait, why are you taking him?"

"He's a suspect in the disappearance of a missing woman" one finally explained.

"Who?" Killian asked quickly. "I haven't kidnapped anyone. I swear to God I'm innocent, now just let me go."

Suddenly, Emma and Killian turned to look as Henry appeared, "Dad?"

"Henry…" he whispered, and he met Emma's gaze before she rushed back into the apartment, stopping Henry in his tracks as he tried to make his way to the front door.

"Emma, what's going on? Where are they taking my Dad?"

In the hallway, one of the officers pulled Killian long, out of the view of Henry and Emma, but the boy broke free of her grasp, standing in front of their door and watching as Killian was pulled down the hallway. "No! He's innocent. Whatever you think he did, he didn't do it! Please, let my Dad go…" Henry cried out, and Emma caught him, clutching him against her as Killian was pulled away.

"Emma, you have to take care of him!" Killian yelled to her, struggling against the officers as they took him away. "Whatever happens to me, you have to make sure Henry's safe! Emma!"

But his cries were silenced as they pulled him into the elevator and the doors closed, Emma still outside the apartment with Henry. She had her arms wrapped tightly around him, his face buried against her stomach as tears fell from his eyes. Refusing to look in the direction they had taken Killian, Emma tightened her arms, tears filling her own eyes as she held one hand to the back of Henry's head.

"I promise, Killian. I promise."

**~K&E~**

"Henry?" Regina asked as the boy rushed past her through the door, backpack over one shoulder, duffle bag over the other. She turned to watch him run off to his room before looking back to the woman in her doorway. "You must be Emma. Killian's told me about you."

"You say it like it's a bad thing" Emma said, trying to brighten the mood.

"No, I just wonder why you're here dropping Henry off without warning and not him, that's all."

Emma sighed, "I'm sorry. I probably should have called first. It's just…something's happened."

She could sense the shock and worry in Regina's eyes, and the woman invited her into the house, "Do you want anything to drink?"

"No thanks. I should get going, but you deserve an explanation first, although I can't tell you much."

"Why don't you start by telling me where Killian is" Regina said quickly.

"Well last night everything was fine and then the police showed up and…"

"The police?" the other woman asked. "Why in the world were they there?"

Emma held her hands up, beginning to pace across the room, "I have no idea. They just arrest him. Something about him being wanted for the disappearance of some woman. I don't know, but I'm going to find out. And I figured Henry would be better off here than with me, at least until we get this all straight."

"If I remember correctly, Killian told me you're Henry's birth mother, correct?"

She stopped, looking at Regina, "Yeah. I am. Why?"

"I just want to make sure you want what's best for Henry."

Emma was speechless for a second, "of course I do. That's why he's here now. If I thought that he'd be better off staying with me then…"

"Alright" Regina said with a smile, "I get it. I'm glad you decided to bring him here. Now, I want you to figure out what's going on with Killian. Henry needs his father."

"I know he does, and I intend to make sure he always has him."

**~K&E~**

As she let out a breath, Emma unlocked the door to the apartment. Their apartment she corrected herself. Or at least, that's what it was supposed to be. Now, as she made her way into the dark rooms, everything was quiet. The sun was setting on the horizon, and she knew that she should turn some lights on, but something stopped her from doing so.

Making her way to the bedroom, Emma collapsed onto their bed, where less than 24 hours previous they had been wrestling and laughing and scarring Henry for life. But now everything was silent, aside from the usual sound of the city outside the window.

She had headed to the NYPD earlier that day with little success in seeing Killian or finding any information. Everything was still under wraps, and while she might be able to call in a favor from an old friend, that was her only chance. Without any other information, Emma could do nothing but sit and wait.

But suddenly, a knock sounded not at the front door, but the door to the bedroom, and she shot up, only to find Henry standing there.

"Henry, what in the world are you doing here? Why aren't you at Regina's?"

Henry moved to sit on the bed next to her, falling back onto the uneven sheets, "I want to help you. We have to prove my Dad innocent."

"There isn't much we can do kid" she said with a sigh, falling back next to him. "They're not releasing any information on the case. We hardly know anything. I haven't even been able to speak to your Dad."

"Then we'll find another way. Emma, we both know he's innocent, right?"

"Of course."

"Then," Henry continued, leaning up on one elbow so he could look at her, "we can figure this out. If we don't I'm going to lose my Dad again, and…"

"It's not going to happen" Emma cut him off, and Henry smiled, causing Emma to do so as well. "You're not going to lose your father."

Quickly, Henry got up off the bed, adjusting his backpack as Emma sat up to look at him. "Then Operation Cobra is back on, right?"

Emma raised an eyebrow, "If I remember correctly, Operation Cobra was about finding someone for your Dad, not about bailing him out of jail."

"Yeah, sort of. But that's not all it was about. Grace and I created Operation Cobra because we wanted to make our Dad's happy. Dad was lonely, and I knew that, and since you've been around, I've never seen him happier. It was like we were a family. But it's awful hard to make him happy when he's in jail."

Emma laughed, ruffling his hair, "you've got a point kid. Any ideas where to start?"

"I figured that maybe this would help" Henry told her, pulling out his fairy tale book.

"Henry, it's just a book of…"

He shook his head, pushing the leather into her hands, and Emma slowly accepted it. "It may just be a bunch of stories, but take a look at the story about Captain Hook again." Slowly, he backed out the apartment. "I've got to go before Regina realizes I'm too late, but when you read through it, let me know." Emma looked down at the book in her hands, running her fingertips over the edges. "And Emma?" Henry asked, forcing her to look back up at him.

"Yeah Henry?"

He paused a moment before continuing, "I love you." And then he was gone, leaving Emma to clutch the book to her chest as she dropped to her knees, the door still swinging open behind him.

**~K&E~**

As Emma made her way through the doors of the NYPD, she couldn't help but be on edge. In a normal case, it would be difficult for her to talk to Killian, she knew that, and the last time she had come through the doors with the same intention, she had walked away without saying a word to him. But if Emma Swan wasn't determined, no one was. Emma Swan knew people. She had friends, and if that wasn't enough, there were favors owed to her. She wasn't going to leave without speaking to Killian. Not this time.

"Emma, it's been a while" Graham said, accent lilting his voice in a way that reminded her so much of Killian. He'd been an officer there, and one of her closest friends in the police department, since she had started work as a bail bondsperson in New York.

"You could say that again Graham" she responded with a smile, settling her arms on the counter between them.

"You here to pick up new cases or something?" he asked, leaning back in his chair.

She shook her head quickly, "No, actually, Graham, I need some information. I need to talk to someone."

"What, like someone here? Emma you know…"

"A man was brought in a few nights ago under arrest because of the disappearance of a woman? Belle or something like that. His name's Killian Jones."

"And why exactly do you need to speak with him. You know I'm not supposed to…"

She cut him off again, "he's my boyfriend, and he's innocent. He shouldn't even be here. He has a son waiting back home. Graham…"

"Alright, alright. I get it. Just, come back here and I'll see what I can do." With that, he motioned for her to follow him through a door that led them to a visitation room, where they sat at one of the tables. "Emma, just so you know, I'm not really supposed to be doing this."

"I know you aren't. But I'm calling in that favor you owe me."

"And that makes it better?" he asked. "That's what I'm supposed to put down on the paperwork?"

"Graham, I saved your life. Please. Just five minutes? He needs to know Henry's ok."

"And you couldn't have sent a letter?" he asked, standing and moving towards the door. Emma was about to respond when he held a hand out to her, grabbing his keys with the other, "I'm just joking. But that's all I can give you Emma. Five minutes." And then he disappeared behind the door.

A few minutes later, he returned with Killian, whose eyes lit up at the sigh of her before going dark as he rushed to the table where she sat, "Emma, you have to leave. Get out of here. Take care of Henry…"

"Henry's fine Killian. We both are. And we're not going anywhere, remember?" she asked, relieved as some of the tension left his shoulders. "Do you know what's going on?"

Killian let out a breath as he sat in the chair across from her. "Not really. All I know is that there' been a missing person reported and it's suspected she's been murdered. They think I did it. But Emma, you have to know I didn't. Use your superpower. You'll know I'm…"

Reaching out her hand to grab his, she intertwined their fingers, "…telling the truth. And nothing is going to change that in my mind. Is there anything else? Any other important information you know?"

"Well, the victim's family requested I be put behind bars in fear I would hurt someone else, but I really don't know who this person even is. All I know is I didn't murder her."

Emma sighed, but their five minutes were up too fast, and the guard notified them that their time was up. But before he could grab him, Killian leaned over and kissed Emma soundly on the lips. "Take care of him, alright? Take care of Henry" he told her as he was pulled away from her once again.

"Of course" she promised, standing up as he left the room before collapsing back into her chair as the door slammed shut, fingers racing up to lightly touch her lips. Trying to preserve the feeling of his against them.

**~K&E~**

Work kept Emma busy over the next few days, and she sighed as she threw another file down on the table. She was leaning back in her chair at the department, the files scattered around her from various new cases she could take on. Her feet were up on the table, and she yawned, rubbing her eyes. It was late, well after midnight, and while New York never really slept, things were quieter due to the darkness that had fallen over the city outside.

She had spent the day going over forms and paperwork, trying to find leads on any number of guys who had jumped their own bail, trying everything to keep Killian off her mind. Since meeting with him she hadn't gotten anywhere. When she returned to the apartment each night she'd try to find information on a missing person, but everything was under wraps, and instead of moving forward, it felt like she was going backwards.

"Hey Emma" a voice asked, and she jumped, turning around to find Graham in the doorway holding a box and couple of cups of coffee.

"Graham, you scared the hell out of me" Emma said, finding herself laughing as she motioned him into the room. "What are you doing here?"

The man sighed, setting the coffee down on the table and opening the box, revealing a few donuts, including Emma's favorite kind of Bear Claw. "I figured that maybe you could use some help. Sidney said you've been here working all day. That's not like you, at least not recently."

"Well, it's not every day the man I love ends up behind bars, is it?" she asked sarcastically, grabbing the donut from the box and taking a bite.

He frowned at her, "you know that's not what I meant. I just want to make sure you're alright." When she didn't respond, eyes roaming over the case she had just thrown on the table, he continued, "Are you?"

"Damnit, of course not Graham. Killian's in jail, Henry's freaking out and I can't figure out left or right in his case. Nothing makes sense."

"Henry?" Graham asked, setting his coffee back on the table. "Who's Henry?"

"My…Killian's son."

"Excuse me" Graham said with a small smile, and he knew Emma caught it as her face turned a bit red, "did you just say your son?"

"Well, technically he is. Ten years ago I gave a kid up for adoption. Turns out this is a small world after all."

"You're telling me that you ended up dating the same man who adopted your son that you gave up ten years ago, and that it was all just a coincidence?" he questioned, obviously not believing her. Taking another bite of the bear claw, Emma nodded. The grin remained on his face for a moment longer before it fell, Graham running his hand over his mouth.

"What?"

He looked up at her, "Emma, I'm not supposed to help you. I'm not supposed to give out information to anyone."

"But…" she continued for him, leaning over the desk and setting the bear claw down.

"But," he repeated after her, "if you really care about this guy, and what you're saying is really the truth, which I know it is, because I know you, then I might be able to lend a hand."

Emma looked at him in disbelief, "are you serious?"

"As serious as I can be. But like I said, this never happened."

"Noted" she told him before motioning for him to continue.

"About a week or so ago, a man called in a missing person. Said it was his wife. That he had returned home to find all of her belongings where they normally were. Car keys, cell phone, purse, ID, everything. But she wasn't anywhere to be found."

"So he thought someone kidnapped her, or worse, right?"

"Exactly. He requested things be kept quiet, and I can't give you any names, but when we questioned him about who might have been involved, one name stood out."

"Killian Jones" Emma whispered, looking down, letting the information stick in her mind. "But that's impossible. Why in the world would Killian do something like that?"

"That's what we can't figure out. And I agree with you completely. Looking at his record, there's no sign that he would do something like this. There's only one charge, and that's for a beating that took place eight years ago. Since then he's had a clean slate. Other than _that_ he's had a clean slate. There's just no…"

"Wait, what did you just say?" Emma asked, interrupting him.

"What? Killian has a clean slate? He has no…"

"No, before that."

Graham looked at her, confused, "I said that he has only one mark on his criminal record. A battery charge from eight years ago." Suddenly, Emma jumped up from the table, grabbing her coat and pulling it on before rounding up the loose files. "Emma, where are you going?" he asked, standing up as well.

"I need to go home. I'm sorry Graham, but I think I might know how to solve this mess."

"Emma, what are you…" he continued, but she cut him off with a hug.

"Thanks for everything Graham," she told him before rushing out the door, leaving him behind.

"Hey!" he yelled out after her, although he knew she wouldn't hear, "you forgot your donut!"

**~K&E~**

Emma rushed into the apartment, throwing her keys in the bowl and the loose files on the table, not caring as they scattered over the floor. Throwing her jacket over the back of the couch, she hurried to sit on it, grabbing the leather bound fairy tale book that sat on the table in front of her. Quickly, she opened it, fingers running over the pages until she found the story she had already read several times. The story of Captain Hook.

The first time the pirate appeared in any of the stories, it was the tale of how he got the hook itself. They never mentioned what he had been called before finding his moniker, although Henry had always joked that it was Killian, only for his father to race to his son's bedroom before reappearing with a costume hook they had bought several years previous. Emma smiled at the memory of them sword fighting in the living room for the hand of the fair Princess. Turns out, Rumpelstiltskin was the one who took his hand, and throughout the rest of the story, one thing was certain. Hook wanted to get his revenge.

Of course, he never actually found the vengeance he was looking for, instead giving it up for the product of true love. The daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming.

"Emma" she whispered, her own name falling from her lips lightly. It still felt odd to say her own name, but it was easy for her to identify with the character in the book, born a princess, raised an orphan, broken hearted by all until she found her true love in the pirate feared by all. Henry had been right, the story of the Princess and the Pirate _did_ remind her of her love with Killian, and now it made more sense than ever.

As Emma reread the stories involving Hook, she was reminded of the fact that he had lost his hand during a battle with Rumpelstiltskin. The pirate escaped with his life, although with one less hand. What the book didn't tell her was why there was a battle in the first place. It was obvious that Rumpelstiltskin was on the offensive side, leaving Hook to try and defend himself for whatever it was he had done.

But as the stories went on, one thing was more than apparent. As much as Hook wanted the Dark One to pay for taking his hand, although Emma figured there was more to the story than what was on the page, Rumpelstiltskin wanted Hook dead twice as much. He tried everything, but for some reason was unable to kill him. Unable to rid himself of the pirate that had apparently stolen something very valuable from him.

And suddenly everything clicked.

Grabbing the phone, Emma dialed quickly, hands shaking a bit as she held the phone to her ear, waiting for a response on the other end. When finally, he picked up, she didn't even let him finish his usual greeting before speaking, "Graham, I need to ask you one more favor."


End file.
